The Dark Lord Rises! A Soul Split into Five?
by darkruler64
Summary: Tom Riddle once seemed to all the world, an ambitious but brilliant young man who dreamed of becoming a great wizard. Now he is known all over the world by a very different name. Lord Voldemort has risen to power and set his sights on the DWMA!
1. prologue

The skies over Death City were a cold and ominous grey. As lord Death stared up into the thick clouds that hung over his beautiful city he imagined, for a moment he saw a skull within them, grimacing down at him. This terrible gloom had come on the day a most peculiar boy had come to the city, and here it was again. Riddle was him name, Tom Riddle. He was a talented wizard who had come from England two years ago, but nothing else was known about his origins. He was neither very short nor tall; Lord Death guessed he was between sixteen and eighteen. He had thick brown hair, ice blue eyes, and a smooth porcelain face. Lord Death had observed that he was as charming and charismatic as he was handsome and seemed to have a skill for smooth-talking other kids and even some adults. Not long ago he had come to the academy to request a private meeting with Death and would have been sent straight off by the staff for his strange request, had Death not stepped in and obliged. He was expecting the boy to arrive any minute. Hopefully then, he could find out more about the boy.

It was not long before he saw Riddle striding down the hall, not at all intimidated by the guillotine blades overhead.

"Good afternoon, Tom!" He said in his bubbly voice. "Sit Down!"

Riddle took a seat before Death's desk without hesitation.

"Would you like a drink?" Death offered.

"That would be welcome." Riddle replied in his most oily voice.

Death poured him a glass of wine and returned to his seat.

"So Tom…"

"You should know," Riddle interrupted, "I don't go by Tom anymore. These days, I'm known as…"

"I have heard," Death assured him "But I will always know you as the charming young Tom Riddle." He declared.

It seemed wise for him to stay in control of the terms of this meeting until he got some clue as to the boy's intentions. As he examined Riddle, he saw that his soul had a most unsettling shape. It was a neon-green skull with a snake protruding from its maw.

"I am surprised that you are still here, after all this time." Riddle commented.

"What do you mean?" Death inquired.

"Well, I always figured the Grim Reaper should be traveling all over the world."

"What do you imagine I would be doing?"

"Oh, I don't know…collecting souls, maybe? Seeking power and knowledge?"

"I have power and knowledge, Tom." Death said pleasantly, "And nothing is more rewarding to me than passing on my knowledge to young minds."

There was another reason Death could not leave the city but he dared not reveal it to this strange boy.

"I couldn't agree more." said Riddle with a sickly sweet smile. "I too am interested in passing my ways on to future generations."

"Your ways? Here at the DWMA, we usually help our students find their own ways."

Riddle and Lord Death stared each other in the eyes for a few moments before Riddle replied,

"Of course you do. I have seen and accomplished much in my life. I have accomplished even more since coming here."

"Have you, now?"

"Yes, I have experimented. I have gone beyond the common practices of magic. I have surpassed my previous limitations. I am certain I can help your students do the same."

"I would be happy to enroll you as a student, if you like." Death offered.

Riddle tilted his head ever so slightly.

"You do not think I am ready to be a teacher?"

"You may very well be." Death admitted "But if magic is what you wish to teach, you must do it in your world."

"Our worlds are not as different as one might think." Riddle said, rising. "But if you do not think my teachings belong here, then there are other opportunities for me."

"Where will you go from here, Tom?" Death asked.

Riddle did not answer but gave a short bow and said, "Until we meet again, Lord Death."

As he turned and headed out of the room, Death quietly said. "Take care, Tom."

The meeting proved to be disappointing. Death still had no clue what Riddle was really after and so he was not in a position to judge him.


	2. chapter 1

It was midnight in the Carpathians and over a dozen witches had traveled there for their yearly mass. They gathered in the main hall of a crumbling castle and nestled on an altar above them was Mabaa, the Grand Witch.

"Joma Joma Dabarasa." rasped Mabaa "As Grand Witch, I now Declare this witches' mass…open. Let us begin."

"Joma Joma Dabarasa." her subordinates whispered.

"As many of you may have heard, last year, The Kishin, Asura and Arachne were killed. Our own, Medusa has also been presumed..."

A number of witches gasped at the dozens of intruders surrounding them; men and women clad in black robes and armed with wands, their faces hidden behind silver masks. One witch opened her mouth, as if to scream when she saw figure emerge from the shadows behind Mabaa but it was too late to alert her. There was a quick flash of green light and the Grand Witch collapsed, dead. Every witch in the hall gasped and the man responsible stepped into the light. His skin was as white as bone and his eyes were a greenish blue with narrow pupils. He had no nose, only slits for nostrils.

"As of now, this little group is under…new management."

The man's voice was a soft, ghoulish moan; there was a definite tone of dry humor as he spoke.

"I am Lord Voldemort."

Several older witches in the coven shuddered as the man introduced himself.

"I see a fair few of you have heard of me." He went on, "Then you should know that your only option is to accept me as your new master."

"No way!" one of the younger witches blurted out. She stepped forward accompanied by three others. "You won't take us by surprise like you did with the Grand Witch!"

Before any of the four rebellious witches could make a move against Voldemort, they were blown in all directions by just two of Eruka's tadpole bombs. She spotted two more witches fleeing into the night sky on broomsticks.

"Shall I have Mizune go after them, Lord Voldemort?" she asked with a quick curtsy.

"No." Voldemort said firmly. "It will give my Death Eaters some amusement."

He gestured to two of his masked followers, who morphed into black smoke and jetted after the fleeing witches.

"What is your name, child?" Voldemort inquired.

"Eruka Frog...my lord…"

"Well, Eruka." said Voldemort, "You will have the honor of becoming my newest…Death Eater."

He gripped her wrist tightly and pressed his wand against it. Eruka gasped as an image of a black skull with a snake coiling out of its mouth was burned into her skin.

"And now…for the finishing touch."

He waved his wand and Eruka's dress morphed into a black Death Eater's robe, then her hat changed into a black cowl with a silver frog-like mask. She took a moment to admire her new wardrobe before facing Voldemort.

"So…um…what are we gonna…"

"We are going to Death City!" Voldemort declared "The Death Weapon Meister Academy will be mine!"

* * *

><p>Mifune sat patiently before Lord Death. He had just requested a job as a teacher at the academy, as Tsubaki had suggested. He was a bit worried that his affiliation with Arachnophobia might affect Death's decision. Tsubaki and Black Star had offered to be there to support him but he insisted on seeing Death alone.<p>

"Well…unfortunately…" Death began, "To be an official teacher here you must be a Death Meister or a Death Scythe. However, since many of our Meisters use swords, you may offer your services as a sword instructor from time to time."

"I guess that sounds good. Thank you."

"And about your young charge, Angela."

Mifune's heart skipped a beat.

"I will also consider allowing her to enroll…when she is old enough, of course."

"You'd do that?" asked Mifune, shocked by this.

"Sure. She wouldn't be the first witch to be enrolled here. There is one other."

At that moment a pink-haired girl in a white and pistachio school uniform came running into the room, looking quite distressed.

"Ah, and here she is. What is it, Kim?"

"The Grand Witch…" Kim breathed "She's dead!"

Mifune gasped while Death made a sound of polite interest.

"Do you who's responsible?"

"He said his name was v-v-"

She seemed afraid to even mention the name.

"Don't be afraid! Tell us!" Death encouraged her.

"Voldemort." Kim said, it was little more than a whisper. "He said he was coming here."

Mifune turned back to Death, who was silent.

"Lord Death?"

"Mifune, Kim." Death said calmly. "We are going to have an emergency meeting, in the dance hall."


	3. Chapter 2

As Death the Kid lead his partners, Liz and Patty into the dance hall there was quite a lot of nervous murmuring. His father had requested that all students and teachers assemble here for an urgent meeting in his usual pleasant voice but there was some underlying distress in his tone. Whatever was going on, Lord Death would trust them all with the truth. After how well they'd all handled Asura and Arachnophobia, he'd have to. As soon as every student and teacher had squeezed into the hall he spoke.

"I have a story for you all." He began, sounding quite grim now. "This happened many years ago, before any of you were born. A boy came to this school to meet me; he was a wizard, and a very skilled one, at that. He asked me for a job at this academy, he wanted to be a teacher. I denied his request for many reasons, he was a stranger, young and inexperienced, and he wanted to teach magic, which of course belongs in the wizarding world. I also suspected a more sinister ulterior motive behind his request but I couldn't figure out what it was. That boy is…more or less…a man now. He is known all over the wizarding world as Lord Voldemort."

_Voldemort! Haven't I heard that name somewhere before? _Kid asked himself

Gasps escaped from a small number of the students. Kid turned to the teachers and saw intense expressions on Stein and Azusa's faces; they were clearly familiar with that name too.

"Rumors of his doings have reached our world too. I see a small number of my teachers and even some students have heard the stories. I do not know how much truth there is to these stories but I do know this, Voldemort will…sometime soon…this very minute perhaps…be coming to Death City."

Nervous whispers and murmurs began to emanate from the students.

"So, for the next few weeks, all students who reside in this academy will stay inside after five p.m. Students who have homes outside of the academy should have an adult stay with them. Teachers, every night, two of you will be chosen to patrol the city, any suspicious activity or people in black robes should be reported immediately. You may allow one meister and weapon to accompany you, if they are willing to obey whatever restrictions you impose on them. We must also be mindful of any disappearances within the city."

After the meeting was concluded, Death allowed all the other students to go back to their daily routines, except for Kid, Liz, and Patty who he had asked to follow him to the Death Room.

"Son, we are going to England today." he said, "That is where Voldemort, or as he was known then, Tom Riddle grew up, and I'm certain we can finally get some answers about him if we look in the right places. I think we'll start with London."

Contrary to Stein's theory, Lord Death could indeed leave the city now, as a result of his near death at the hands of Asura.

"But, Dad! Someone like you walking around London?"

"Hmmm, I see what you're getting at. I guess it could cause a bit of a scare."

He went into a nearby closet and emerged wearing an overcoat, a derby, large glasses, and a fake moustache.

"There, now I can blend in!" he said. Patty giggled at his rather silly appearance and Kid merely rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before Father and Son were jetting over the ocean toward England. (Kid kept Liz and Patty inside a small leather case.)<p>

"Dad, I need to ask you a serious question." said Kid. "Why didn't you try to deal with Voldemort before? Why didn't you ever send someone to England to find answers about him before?"

"I felt that if Voldemort ever became a threat to the wizarding world then it should be wizards and witches who dealt with him, but now that he threatens our world we have no choice but to act. As for why I never sent someone to England to investigate, well no one else would know what to look for so I wasn't sure I could trust them with this. When he first came to Death City, I did occasionally listen to his conversations with his…friends. I once heard him mention an orphanage he grew up in. Wool's Orphanage, he called it. That's where we're going first."


	4. Chapter 3

Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, Kim, and Jacqueline sat on a hillside with Professor Stein, singed and sweaty from the day's training. With the threat of Voldemort and his forces, the students needed a great deal more practice defending themselves against magic. Kim did what she could but Stein insisted that it wasn't enough.

"If Voldemort and his followers are anything like the stories say, we need something a bit more…destructive to prepare us for them." he said, frustrated by their limited options.

"You really think this 'Voldemort' will try to take over the academy?" Maka asked. She found it hard to believe that anyone would try to go up against the DWMA for any reason, after the defeats of Medusa, Arachnophobia, and even Asura.

"I don't think he'll just come marching through the front door. I expect he's much cleverer than that. Then again, he's supposed to be hopelessly insane so I wouldn't put ANYTHING past him."

"Most of us witches are afraid to even say his name." Kim added.

Maka racked her brain for a minute, trying to think of someone who they could practice with. Then it hit her…

"Blair!"

"Who?" asked Stein.

"She's the cat-girl who hangs out with us. She's not a witch but she's got magic, and she's really powerful!"

"You think she'll help?"

"She'll do anything for her favorite food…fish."

"That minx is worse than a witch." Soul sneered.

Stein turned the screw in his skull for a moment and shrugged.

"What the hell? Tell her she can have some exotic fish if she helps, I've got plenty."

"I'll go get her!" Maka said and with that she rushed off to Blair's house. Blair had gone back after she was unable to get anymore satisfaction out of harassing Soul, but she was always happy to see Maka and would still occasionally come over for some 'cuddle time' with her (in her cat form). She knocked on the door just once, only to be glomped by Blair.

"Maka, darling!" she cried happily and Maka replied "Nice to see you too, Blair."

Blair invited her in and Maka told her about the threat of Voldemort and his followers and how the students needed practice defending themselves against magic.

"Mmm that sounds like awfully hard work." she said, "What do I get for helping?"

"How about some exotic fish?" Maka suggested with a grin.

Blair gave an excited squeal and hugged Maka. She wondered what just what kind of exotic fish Stein had, hopefully nothing that would make Blair sick…or just scare her away.

For the next two weeks, Blair came to the academy each week day and challenged the students for two and a half hours. Her limit was no more than three armed meisters at a time. She used her most powerful attacks such as her "Halloween Cannon" and her "Smashing Pumpkin."

After the first week, Black Star, Ox Ford, and Kilik had improved greatly in defending themselves from magic-based attacks. Several new students had also fared well against Blair:

Joseph, a boy who was always silent and withdrawn, managed to take Blair by surprise. His Alaskan malamute could transform into an axe which gave him power over ice. He could also create thick clouds of fog with it, which he used to sneak up behind her and freeze her with one touch from the axe's blade.

Mara, a gentle goth-girl used a giant pair of shears (her little sister) to grab Blair and toss her of her pumpkin, allowing David, a chivalrous boy who wielded a mace to force her into surrender.

At the end of each hard day, Blair was rewarded with some kind of fish she'd never tried before, what few minor injuries she got were healed by Kim, and she even got her ears scratched by Maka every night. It did not take much to make her happy.


	5. Chapter 4

Tsubaki finished cooking some of her best curried rice with a little help from Angela. She went into the living space to find Black Star watching cartoons and Mifune was slouched on a chair gulping down a jug of saké.

"Dinner's ready." she said.

"Got any saké?" Mifune asked, as Black Star giggled away at the TV.

"No, Mifune." Tsubaki sighed. "Honestly…"

Tsubaki was glad that Black Star and Mifune were friends now, and she was glad Mifune was starting to loosen up a little, but the two of them weren't quite acting their age today.

"Black Star, aren't you worried at all?" she asked as they ate. "I mean, this guy did kill the grand witch. And easily too, according to Kim."

"Well, ever since she lost that eye of hers, the hag never was quite _all there_." Mifune said with a chuckle. "Maybe age was just catching up with her."

"Well…maybe." said Tsubaki. "Still, I can't believe any man is crazy enough to try and take over a city run by Death."

"He'd **have to be **crazy to come here with a big star like me around!" Black Star boasted.

"What's that?" Angela asked, pointing to a window.

They turned to the window and saw…a mask…a silver frog mask staring through it.

"An uninvited guest!" Black Star barked.

The masked watcher quickly slipped out of sight as he bolted for the window. When he reached the window, he poked his head out and noticed two cloaked figures dashing down the street.

"Cloaks and masks…they must be those _Death Eaters!_" Black Star concluded. "C'mon, Tsubaki, let's kick their asses!"

Tsubaki transformed into a kunai, flew forward and Black Star caught her. He then dived out the window, leaving Mifune to protect Angela, and sprinted down the street after the two Death Eaters. He caught up with one and slashed him in the side. The Death Eater grunted loudly, stumbled off a bridge and into a channel. The Death Eater in the frog-mask then turned to face Black Star.

"You're no match for the speed and power of Black Star!" He boasted loudly.

"Not you again!" The Death Eater groaned.

Black Star remembered this girl now; she was the one who revived Asura.

"Don't know where you've been, frog-girl, but you shouldn't have come back!"

The frog-girl conjured two grinning black orbs and hurled them at Black Star, who flipped to the right and hurled Tsubaki (in shuriken form) at her. She let out a small yelp, ducked and dashed through an alley. Black Star grabbed Tsubaki, and had her turn into one of his favorite weapons, the _kusarigama _or _chain-scythe. _He charged after the frog-girl, swinging Tsubaki, and then he flung her. The girl transformed into a small green frog and leapt into the channel. Before Black Star could pursue her though, a thick mist descended and he lost sight of her.

Black Star's flesh began to crawl as the the air around him grew frigid. He heard deep rattling breath above him. He raised his head and an entity swooped down; it was covered completely in a tattered, worn black cloak, except for its rotting hands. Its face was concealed beneath a tight-fitting black cowl. The thing glided toward him and tried to grab him but he flung Tsubaki and severed its hands. Another of the things grabbed his wrists from behind and lifted him into the air, while a third clutched his ankles. The one holding his wrists sunk its pointy nails into his flesh, causing him to drop Tsubaki. The more he struggled, the more of the things came to hold him; he could feel much of the energy and warmth in his body draining fast. One of them got close to his face. He could see what he presumed to be its mouth through an opening in its cowl. It grabbed his face and pulled his mouth open; it then opened its own mouth wide and leaned toward him as though it were about to…kiss him. The thought revolted Black Star but he was too weak to struggle. Before its lips could touch his though, his vision was engulfed in a blaze of blue and he felt all the creatures release him. For a few moments, he was falling and all he could hear was the air rushing past him until…someone caught him.

"Black Star…"

Slowly he opened his eyes and saw Tsubaki, her face full of alarm. He also saw Maka holding Soul (in scythe-form). She must have been the one who drove the creatures away from him, and the one holding him was Stein.

"I'm fine." he muttered and Stein gently set him down on a bench.

"You're welcome." he retorted.

"What were those things?" Black Star asked.

"No idea." said Stein. "I've never seen anything quite like them."

"Hey, guys!"

It was Sid, accompanied by Ox Ford and Harvar. Sid was carrying a little boy in his arms.

"One of those creatures did something to this boy." Sid said.

"We heard him scream but by the time we got past all the Death Eaters, we found him like this. We can't snap him out of it." said Ox Ford.

Sid handed the boy over to Stein; he examined the boy for a moment and gasped.

"He has no soul."

"What?"

Maka rushed over and examined the boy as well.

"He's right…" she said, her voice somewhat shaky. "Pulse and heartbeat, but no soul."

"That's what it was trying to do to me." said Black Star. "It was going to… suck out my soul."

"What do we do about this boy, then?" Tsubaki asked.

"I…I don't think there's anything we can do." Stein said softly. "Where did you find him?" he asked Ox Ford.

"In a house back that way." Ox Ford replied, pointing to a street behind them. "He was lying on the floor with his parents, they were attacked too. They were…the same way."

"I see…" Stein said stoically. "We'll bury them then, all three of them…together."


	6. Chapter 5

It was almost midnight when Stein got home. He was still burdened by the family that was…attacked. They had suffered a fate far more lamentable than death and those damned Death Eaters made it impossible for anyone to prevent it. As Stein slumped on the couch, he almost regretted having given up smoking. It wasn't long before the one person in the world who could ease his distress came to join him. It was Marie, the woman to whom he owed his life and his sanity. She gave him a cup of herbal tea and he told her about the creatures, how they devoured the family's souls, and she comforted him as best she could.

"Get some sleep." she said planting a kiss on his forehead. "I'll keep watch."

Stein gulped down the rest of the tea, dragged himself to his room, and collapsed onto his bed. It did not seem possible for the souls of the cloaked specters' victims could be recovered. There were so many of them and even if they did happen to slay the ones that attacked that family, they may have already digested the souls (or whatever their bodies did). The best thing they could do then would be to slay as many of the things as they could, and Voldemort as well, if they could manage it.

Maka was also distraught about the family whose souls were taken. As she lay in bed, she silently swore that if she happened to encounter Voldemort or his Death Eaters, she would pay them back in kind by claiming **their** souls. she would also destroy as many of the soul-sucking fiends as she could.

* * *

><p>It was storming hard in London that morning. Death and his son had found their way to Wool's Orphanage without too much trouble. The matron was a very troubled looking old woman named Mrs. Cole. She let them in and insisted that Death remove his disguise (she did not seem alarmed when he did). When Death wanted to know about Tom Riddle, she looked very reluctant, close to tears in fact. Death apologized and got up to leave when she insisted that they stay and hear the story. According to her, Riddle's mother came to the Orphanage on the night of New Year's Eve and died shortly after giving birth to him.<p>

"He was an unusual boy." she had told them. "Even as a baby, he was different. He never cried…not once. I used to think he came from a circus family, but I know better now."

Death nodded and encouraged her to continue.

"He frightened the other children as well, but I never caught him doing anything bad so I couldn't punish him."

"Why did he frighten them?" Kid asked.

"Well, one day I found a boy's rabbit hanging from the rafters by its ears. He and Tom had an argument the day before so I asked him if Tom did it but he only shook his head, he seemed too frightened to tell me anything. One summer, we took the children to the sea side and Tom took two of them into a cave with him. They were never the same after that."

"What happened to Tom?" Death inquired

"When he turned eleven, a strange old professor from that wizarding school came to visit him."

"What did he want with Tom?"

"He offered Tom a place at his school." she said. "I decided to listen in on them and I heard the old professor tell him that it was a school of magic and Tom started telling about all these abilities he had that he had kept a secret from me. The professor told him that he would take him to the school only if he returned the toys he took from the other children and apologized."

"Where can we find this school?"

"I have no idea."

Death thanked Mrs. Cole and left with Kid.

"Any idea how we're going to find this school, dad?" Kid asked.

"Well, it's probably somewhere in the countryside where people are less likely to find it by accident. I guess we'll look there."


	7. Chapter 6

Lord Voldemort sat in the middle of the forest of Dean one evening, stroking his faithful pet, Nagini. Nagini was a magical snake he had gotten from his old mentor, Medusa. He and Medusa crossed paths shortly before he made residence in Death city. He used his charm to persuade her to train him in the dark arts (which were not practiced in his home country). He returned to her after he was turned away by Lord Death and allowed her to experiment on him. She even helped him successfully split his soul and was so pleased with him, that she rewarded him with Nagini. He wished that she were here now; he was certain she would be proud of how powerful and feared he had become, but the witches that were under Mabaa's rule told him she had been missing for over a year. If she were alive she would have sent him a sign by now. He sighed and looked up as Eruka and Mizune, his newest and most promising Death Eaters came to him.

"Any sign of them?" he asked.

"Not yet, my lord." said Eruka. "But don't worry, they **will **come. As soon as the rumors reach them, they'll send some of their best meisters. One of them will have to be Maka Albarn; she's the one who they say destroyed Asura. She may also be the one who killed Medusa."

"Very well, we'll give it one more day." Voldemort decided.

That morning, he had allowed the dementors he controlled to feed on tourists in the forest. The Dementors were his favorite creatures, next to snakes. In the event that too many of his Death Eaters were defeated or otherwise failed him; he knew he could always rely on the Dementors. If this Maka Albarn was indeed the skilled meister that so many had believed her to be, then she would almost certainly be sent here to deal with the Dementors. It would be the perfect chance for Voldemort to test himself against a Death Meister, and if she was indeed the one who killed Medusa, it could also be the perfect chance for revenge.

* * *

><p>Maka couldn't stand another minute of being cooped up in a classroom listening to Marie's lectures. Marie was a wonderful teacher and a much more confidant speaker now but Maka had a powerful need…a need to go out and punish evil! She hadn't felt this way since her fight with Medusa. When Azusa (who was now temporarily in charge of the academy) summoned her and Soul to the Death Room, she had a feeling she was going to get her wish.<p>

"There has been…activity…very similar to what Professor Stein described, in the Forest of Dean." she said. "Go there and find out what's responsible. If it's the creatures, then eliminate them. Professor Stein will be accompanying you, if you encounter the Death Eaters, you should make sure he is with you before engaging them."

Maka's face twitched impatiently.

"Maka, you defeated Asura purely on nerve. I really don't think it's going to be enough this time. True, Asura was pure madness, but this new enemy is methodical and calculating. You are not to take them lightly."

Maka nodded stoically and marched out with Soul and Stein. She didn't care what the adults thought at that moment, it was time for some payback.

* * *

><p>"Hey Maka?"<p>

"What's up Soul?"

"How'd we get here again?"

Maka shrugged as the trio came to the Forest of Dean.

"I mean we just…"

"It would be wise," Stein began "to mind your voice. I'd rather not my position be given away to the enemy, especially because of another." he said as he walked hastily through the forest, being certain to step on branches and dried leaves, the noise echoing into the glen.

Soul shook his head. "I wish he didn't give up smoking."

"Agreed." Maka said quickly.

"I heard that!" Stein said as he continued noisily into the forest.

Maka and Soul hurried to catch up, but no sooner did the come to Stein did he come to a complete stop. As the other two came beside him, they both knew exactly why. The humid and relatively cool woods had now grown icy and cold.

"It's them." Stein hissed, raising Spirit.

One of the fiends swooped down and tried to grab Stein but he maneuvered around it and sliced its head off. He whirled around and slashed at another one, tearing into is cloak. He tore its cloak and cowl off to reveal its skeletally thin body, rotting grey skin, smooth hairless head and featureless visage. It had no eyes, nose, or ears, only a gaping orifice in the middle of its face. The entire lower half of its body was missing, with a bony tail protruding from its pelvic bone. If the creature's appearance at all unnerved Stein, it didn't show as he quickly dispatched this one as well. Maka and Soul, however, were not nearly as skilled in warding them off. The floating, gliding specters each made gruesome sucking sounds as Maka and Soul began to feel faint. Glaring, Maka swung Soul for her enemies, Soul glowing with Maka's trademark Witch-Hunter technique.

The single swipe took several of the cloaked wraiths out at once, Stein easily cleaving through more and more as Maka rigorously challenged her share. Before long what few of the creatures that remained glided into the mist and out of sight. Maka looked around wildly and saw no sign of Stein either. She started calling him but got no answer. Before she could think of what to do, a beam of neon green light came toward her and she flipped away from it just in time. A strange man stepped through the mist to confront her; he was fairly tall and lean with bone-white skin, blue-green eyes, a bald head, and no nose (only snake-like slits for nostrils).

"Maka…" he said in a smooth and chilling voice. "It's an honor…"

"BASTARD!" she shrieked, charging toward him.

She attempted a vertical slash but a large silver shield appeared, just inches away from the tip of his wand and the force sent Soul spinning through the air and into a nearby tree. Maka tried to punch Voldemort but he backhanded her, sending her tumbling back. He waved his wand and the area around them was enclosed in a cage of glowing red glyphs. Maka sprang to her feet but an unseen force threw her back a few feet from Voldemort. He then raised his wand and shot a beam into the air. Dozens of scythes began raining down and Maka began diving and rolling away from them, trying to reach Soul. Finally, she grabbed a hold of him in time to swat away the volley of burning green orbs Voldemort was shooting at her.

"You will pay for the death of my mistress." Voldemort growled as Maka came closer. Maka growled as she swung Soul at him.

"And you…" she spat, with each swipe "WILL-PAY-FOR-ALL-THOSE-PEOPLE!"

Voldemort only sniggered as he quickly and nimbly stepped away from her.

"You fight well." he said in his smooth voice. "Agile, persistent, you fight with all your being…"

With that, he stepped to the side, Maka stumbling forward as Voldemort swung his wand upward, a red hot stream of fire bursting into Maka's side.

"But you are reckless and foolhardy."

As Maka strained with the pain, Voldemort put his foot to her side and flipped her over into the grass.

"It's time you know just what you are dealing with." he growled, brandishing his wand. "_CRUCIO!"_

No sooner did the words leave Voldemort's lips did Maka begin to violently twitch on the ground, screaming louder than she ever thought possible. The pain was truly unbearable.

"CRUCIO!" he cried, louder this time.

Maka tried to scream in agony but all that she could get out were grunts and coughs. Soul returned to human form, morphed his hand into a blade and tried to run Voldemort through but he waved his wand and Soul's chest split open, producing a spout of blood. Instantly falling to his knees, Soul watched as Maka's twitching grew less violent, as if she were dying… or worse. Soul began to crawl for Voldemort. He couldn't let it end this way. Voldemort's face quickly twisted into a glare as he struck Soul with the same spell, his bleeding quickening. As the blood began to trickle from his mouth, he began to feel his vision fade.

"That pain she's feeling seems almost… maddening, doesn't it, Evans?"

Soul knew the voice well.

"What do you think?" the imp hissed

"I think you ought to go screw yourself!" Soul spat. "Piss off already!" he said as his vision began to flicker.

Maka's eyes flew open. She sprang to her feet and a long scythe blade protruded from each of her arms. Before Voldemort knew what he was seeing, she hurled herself forward. Voldemort shifted to the right but she scored a deep cut in his side. She looked back at him and saw his face twist into a mask of pure unrefined rage that, for a split second, made her regret doing it. He let out an unearthly wail of fury and Maka's vision was engulfed in flames, next thing she knew, she was flying through the air and came crashing down into a cold lake. Feeling weak from the curse Voldemort used on her, she was barely able to keep afloat. Just then, she felt as if something helped push her towards the shore, although she couldn't see whatever it was in the black waters.

As she clawed her way to the shore, she saw Voldemort walking gracefully across the lake's surface toward her. Before she could even prepare to defend herself though, everything went black. She felt pain unlike any she had felt before. She also felt an unbelievable rage rising within her. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were grey, scaly, and clawed. She fell back and began flailing her arms madly, hoping to sink her claws into anything that came near her.

"_So weak…so vulnerable…"_

The voice made her rage so immensely she couldn't stand it. Before she could cry out, however, she heard another voice; one that despite her resentment for it, she was grateful to hear.

"_Maka… you're not the same as him… don't be afraid…"_

Every nerve in her body was on fire now; it wasn't long before she blacked out.

When Maka awoke, she was still surrounded by darkness and as far as she could tell, she had no body. She looked up and saw something strange, a dim, green skull grimacing down at her. Something wasn't right, large sections of it were missing. After a few moments, she realized what it was; it was a soul. What could have happened to it? Had he done this to himself? She remembered faintly that if a person's soul was not whole when they died, they would cease to exist. Why would a man mutilate his own soul?

"_You're the weak one." _she thought. _"You're going to die…alone…and it's your fault. I pity you."_

As soon as she thought this, the feeling quickly came rushing back to her body, she could **hurt **again! A chorus of ghoulish shrieks surrounded her and she felt the heavy darkness lift from her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Voldemort staring dispassionately down at her.

"You are wrong…" he said softly but icily. "You will die alone…and I will live forever."

As soon as he said this he became shrouded in black smoke and vanished. The next thing she knew, she was cold and wet, lying half out of the lake, Soul lying silently to the side. Maka wanted to help him up and tell him it was her fault he got hurt again, but she was so weak she couldn't even speak. Although they survived, they had both spent too much energy on the duel. Maka slowly laid her head in the grass and blacked out once more. Soon, however, she felt a light but sharp smack to her cheek as she heard someone speaking indistinctly. Opening her eyes, her vision returned quickly as she saw her father smile down at her, Stein tending to the fallen Soul.

"What pushed me out of the lake?" Maka asked blankly, not even acknowledging Spirit, much to his anguish.

"Maybe a giant squid." Stein said nonchalantly. "You sometimes find them in places like these." he said as he looked over Soul.

"He's lost a lot of blood… he needs attention immediately."

Spirit nodded and hurried off as Maka climbed weakly to her knees.

"I…I saw his soul." she said weakly.

"Huh?"

"Voldemort…I saw his soul." said Maka. "Parts of it were missing."

"Missing?" Stein asked, looking intrigued.

"Yes…I think he tarnished it. But why would a man do that to himself?"

"No idea." said Stein, compulsively turning the screw in his skull. "Maybe it was an experiment gone wrong?"

Maybe it was or maybe it wasn't, but whatever the case, it didn't bode well at all for Maka. There was much more to Voldemort than they were seeing, and she was certain she wasn't the only one aware of this as she watched Stein tend to Soul.


	8. Chapter 7

All had been quiet for Soul during his recovery. As he slipped in and out of consciousness, he could not recall hearing from Little Demon, which was probably a good sign. He had allowed himself to sleep long enough and it was time to wake up. Forcing his eyes open, he saw two of his friends, Crona and Joseph. After Asura's defeat, Soul and Crona and grown closer. He seemed to view Soul as a big brother just as he clearly viewed Maka as a big sister. He reached out and stroked Crona's shoulder.

"I knew you'd be okay." Crona said in his gentle voice. "Maka was with you all night when you were brought in."

Soul glanced over at Joseph, as always he was clad in black and his eyes were barely visible through his dark tinted glasses. He first met Joseph while playing his piano; he thought he was alone until he finished playing and heard Joseph applauding. Joseph was always so quiet that it was somewhat of a surprise when he made his presence known. Joseph wasn't one for warm feelings, but he offered Soul a lukewarm smile and let his malamute, Oliver lick Soul's face. Once the three of them left, Soul changed out of his hospital gown and into a pair of clothes that he presumed Maka had left for him; some simple jeans and a shirt with cool designs all over it. He needed to know what had happened since he had been brought in.

"Yo! Soul!"

Turning quickly, Soul saw Black Star rushing up to him.

"Ya finally got out, huh?"

Nodding, Soul took a deep breath.

"So, Black Star, what happened while I was under?" He asked taking a moment to stretch.

"Not much," Black Star said with a shrug. "As far as I know, Stein's still just making us train for hours. I wish I could- OOF!"

Before Black Star could finish or Soul could notice, Black Star fell to the ground from a basketball connecting with the side of his face. Soul turned quickly to see the newcomers to the school laughing and pointing.

"Dammit, it's the girl again… what's her name?" "Lori! Keese! You jackasses!"

With that Black Star charged for the jeering pranksters. Soul couldn't help but smile. They may have been lazy pranking delinquents, but it was still a breath of fresh air to see the school wasn't entirely down in the dumps since the chaos began. Seeing Black Star chase the two down the street, Soul figured he wouldn't be back anytime soon, so he decided to go to the only other place he could think of.

There was a knock at Franken Stein's door, causing him to jump and spill iced coffee over his hand.

"… I'm not gonna relapse… I'm not gonna relapse…"

Mattering to himself, he opened the door to see Soul standing before him.

"Ah, it's you, Soul. Looks like you snapped out of it alright."

Leading Soul into his lab, Stein moved a large pile of horror movie boxes from a chair for Soul to take a seat.

"So, you feel alright after your little siesta, Soul?"

Soul nodded, taking a seat, shuddering as he unknowingly sat in Stein's spilt frozen coffee.

"What happened while I was out?" Soul asked, glowering at the wet seat. Stein rose and paused whatever gritty film he was watching before turning to get more coffee.

"Well, in the time you were out, Lord Death and his son have returned from Britain, apparently with confidential news from a source they've yet to reveal to the staff." he said, turning the screw in his head and watching his mixing drink.

"With any luck, though, I'm sure we'll have a lead or two as to what we should do about our new friend." Stein took a sip from his coffee before looking into a microscope.

"Hm… not looking good at all."

"What? What's that?" Soul asked, noticing it was a blood sample. "That's not mine is it?"

"No, it belongs to Keese."

Soul stretched once more, still feeling quite stiff.

"As much as I find that funny as piss… ("Watch the language, dammit." Stein said nonchalantly.) …I think we're getting off topic, good doctor."

"You can go to the school and find out more there."

* * *

><p>The students of the DWMA trained after hours, per Lord Death's orders, their training against magic become more and more advanced and challenging. Maka, however, without Soul by her side, was unable to participate, and so she joined Sid and the others as they observed the progress, however, she had now reluctantly joined Lord Death and Spirit as she waited for Soul to awaken. For some reason, Lord Death was showing more interest in her since the battle with Asura. However, at long last, Soul was up and coming to meet with Death. Rushing out, shoving past a handful of new students, she saw Soul tackled by Blair at the top of the steps.<p>

"Dammit, cat, how many times do I have to tell you?" Soul began as Blair purred loudly as she nuzzled her face to his.

"Maka! A little help!" he spat as he tried to push Blair off.

Maka merely giggled (she and Blair had grown fairly close).

"Soul, Maka, come with me. There is something I must show you." said Lord Death.

Soul shoved Blair away and hurried to Lord Death's side. He took them to the Death room and bid them to sit. He placed an ancient-looking book on the table and flipped to a page with an illustration of a man who looked as though he were in great pain.

"Horcruxes…" he said solemnly. "Objects in which a witch or wizard can conceal part of their soul. It is one of the most forbidden practices of magic, from what I have come to understand."

"What's all this?" Soul asked, a little confused.

Maka explained how Voldemort tried to possess her and how she had seen his tarnished soul.

"Well, I'll be god-damned." Soul growled. "Never imagined anyone was crazy enough to do something like that."

"As long as the Horcruxes exist, Voldemort cannot die. Every last one must be destroyed." Death explained. "Maka, I need you to think very hard. Can you remember how many pieces of his soul were missing?"

"I think…four." said Maka. "But how do we find them? They could be anywhere, couldn't they? They could be **anything **too, any object!"

"True, but Voldemort is not the kind of man who would hide part of his precious soul in just anything. I spoke to the headmistress of the school he attended and according to her; he was deeply fascinated with objects steeped in magical history. She mentioned a cup, and a diadem, each of which belonged to one of the school's founders but was lost for centuries."

"So that still leaves two more Horcruxes." said Maka "Have we any idea where one of them could be?"

"It stands to reason that he would choose places that mean something to him. And two places come to mind; there's Little Hangleton, where Voldemort's parental family, the Riddles lived and mysteriously died. There's also the forest of Albania, where he was rumored to have gone into hiding some years ago. Kid and I have another place in mind, right Kid?"

Kid nodded.

Suddenly there was a burst of flame and an aging witch emerged. She was dressed in dark green with oval glasses and a pointed hat.

"Ah, Headmistress!" said Death.

"Please forgive my intrusion, Lord Death." said the witch. Her voice was somewhat throaty but full of grandmotherly feeling. "I have found something most interesting in the castle and would like to borrow one of your most skilled professors, if you don't mind."

Lord Death turned to Professor Stein and Spirit who nodded and went to the witch's side. She thanked Death and waved her wand, enveloping herself, Stein, and Spirit in flames. In mere seconds, they were gone.

"Now then, which of you will go to Albania?"

"We will." said Maka at once.

"Good. Black Star and Tsubaki, you can investigate Little Hangleton. Kid, you know what to do."

With a nod, Kid turned to his partners, Liz and Patty, reaching out for the both of them. As they both transformed into his firearms, Kid's eyes bulged.

"PATTY!" he screeched. "You're heavier than Liz! How much have you been eating lately, dammit!"

"Hey!" Patty whined. "I'm very sensitive about my weight. I've been trying to lose it!"

"I don't care about that!" Kid returned. "Symmetry is everything!"

Taking a moment to gather himself, Kid turned Liz over in his hand.

"Okay, it'll take far too long for Patty to lose enough weight. Liz, begin eating immediately. We then leave for the sea-"

"I DON'T THINK SO!" roared Liz. "You're not fattening me up!"

"I think you'd look cute if you were fat, sis." Patty hummed cheerfully.

As the three continued to rant, the others simply ignored them and went for their own destinations.


	9. Chapter 8

It was dark outside. The moon grinned down over the castle as the students lay sleeping. All was quiet except for the staff, who patrolled the castle at night and the two dispatched from the DWMA in search of a place the headmistress had briefed them about. A secret chamber supposedly buried beneath the school that few believed existed and even fewer knew the legend of. All was quiet through the corridors. The soft-soled boots Stein wore for this mission barely made a sound. He heard nothing as he trekked.

"Hey, Stein." Spirit suddenly piped up. "What d'you think British women are like, hm?" he asked lazily.

"I don't think they give away the element of surprise." Stein groaned irritably as he continued on.

"Sorry." Spirit said as a wolf howled in the distance. "Just trying to ease the tension, it's been a boring night so far."

"I'd prefer it stay that way," Stein said sharply. "but unfortunately it shouldn't if we want this mission to be a success." After that, there was silence once more as the two continued on. After a moment or two, Stein looked to his side.

"What is it, Stein?" Spirit asked as the approached what looked like a bathroom. "You think whatever we're looking for is taking a leak?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Stein said with a slight smirk as he stepped inside. Looking around, Stein looked around. It looked as though the pipes had either overflowed or ruptured because the floor was drenched in water. As Spirit groaned in disgust, Stein looked around. He sensed some kind of soul in here.

"What do you want?"

The two whirled around quickly to see who the voice had come from.

"Oh, figures."

"Yeah, another ghost…"

Since Stein had come to the castle, there had been several false alarms as many many ghosts also called this castle home.

"I am not just a ghost!" she said defiantly. "MY name is… my name is…"

With a wail, the ghostly girl glided through the air and into the stalls, sobbing about how she was called _"just another ghost"_. Shaking his head, Stein began to look about the bathroom.

"Hey, Stein." Sprit said sharply. "We're wasting time. What are we still doing in here, anyway?"

Stein ignored his partner. Something just wasn't right here. What could it be? He heard what sounded like airflow… another way in or out of the bathroom. Slowly inching around the bathroom, ignoring the ghost girl's crying, he began to feel a draft, coming to a ruined sink.

"One of these taps is a fake." Stein said as he turned the screw in his head. "We just need to- ARGH!"

"Stein! What's wrong!" Spirit breathed as he reverted and knelt beside his friend. "Are you okay?"

"UGH! All better now." Stein said with a deep breath, turning the screw in his head once more. "My screw jammed. You wouldn't believe how much it hurts."

Rolling his eyes, Spirit returned to his scythe form, Stein seizing him. Closing his eyes, feeling the draft once more and hearing the slight whip of flowing air over the ghost girl, Stein's eyes shot open and he looked at one tap. There seemed to be some kind of seal on it.

"Well, now that we know where something weird is," Spirit began "we should need maybe a key or a password or-"

With a great crash, Stein brought Spirit down upon the false sink, shattering it into pieces.

"Well, that works, too." Spirit said as Stein looked down the black pit. "Lacks a certain finesse, but-"

Before he could finish speaking, Stein dropped down the pit, Spirit ranting loudly as they dropped into some kind of slimy, smelly tunnel and slid at incredible speed for the bottom, the stench of decay and stagnant water overpowering almost all their senses. Stein landed with a loud crunch and saw that the ground was littered with various bones. He made his way through the cavern until he came to a large vault door, which he pried loose with Spirit. The camber was oddly illuminated despite it looking as if there was no means of light coming through anywhere. Stepping inside, Stein saw the floors were made of fine marble, smooth and perfectly tiled in giant slabs.

The room was lined by great basins of water with giant monstrous snake head sculptures positioned perfectly, facing one another. Kid would have loved it. Stepping further into the great hall, Stein saw what looked like an old bearded wizard's face crafted of the same fine marble at the farthest end of the hall. Stepping closer to it, Stein could feel what felt like a soul nearby. Looking about the room, he figured it must be far away, not even in the same chamber as them because the feeling he got from it was so weak. As he continued to creep toward the far end, he stepped on something. He looked down and saw that it was a worn old book. He knelt down and picked it up. It was very plain and full of blank pages. As he continued to examine it, he thought for a moment that he saw a feint green glow around it.

"Do you want to play with me?" a familiar voice asked.

Stein looked up and gasped at what he saw. It was himself, as a child! He fell back in shock and gazed at the apparition. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, a different boy was standing before him. He looked about eleven years old, with dark hair and ice-blue eyes, and dressed in some kind of dark uniform.

"I said…do you want…to play?" the boy asked in a soft, yet cold and commanding voice. Stein narrowed his eyes.

"Stein. What is it?" Spirit asked. "Is something there?"

Stein knew immediately what to do. Dropping Spirit, who reverted to his human form immediately, Stein held the diary for his companion. Seizing it, Spirit now saw the boy, now looking about Soul's age.

"You don't care to play either?" the boy asked Spirit in a proper tone. "Well, I see no point in forcing you."

"What's this guy's problem?" Spirit whispered to Stein. Stein, however, stared unblinking at the boy.

"Who are you?" Stein asked quietly. The boy only stepped closer to Stein.

"Who are you?" Stein repeated, this time a little bit more loudly.

"There seems something interesting about you, sir." the boy said as he came closer to Stein who began to step back away from the boy. "It would seem you are… quite mad." he said, his lips curling slightly.

"Shaddup!" Stein spat, his eyes flashing behind his glasses.

"They called me mad when I was a child too, you know?"

"I said shut up!"

"Stein, don't listen to him!"

"You seem quite like me, you know?"

"Stein, don't let him get to you!"

"Perhaps we were always destined to meet."

"Enough!" Stein roared as he seized Spirit's arm.

His friend quickly transformed as he swung for the boy, cutting him down instantly. Giving his neck a crack, Stein looked down at the fallen halves of the boy.

"Screw you." Stein hissed as he turned to leave.

"You didn't think it would be so easy to dispatch the likes of me, did you, Mr. Stein?"

Turning back quickly, Stein saw the boy once more, standing as if Stein had never touched him.

"Could your madness be brilliance, feared by those who do not understand, Mr. Stein?"

"Stein, kill him!"

"You shouldn't be ashamed of your visions, Stein, of your dreams."

"STEIN, KILL HIM!"

"Join me." the boy said, his voice beginning to sound distorted. "Join Lord Voldemort."

"Screw you." Stein said calmly, cutting the boy down once more.

Turning, he saw the boy's grinning face, speaking in some kind of rasping tone, and the rumbling of moving stone echoing behind him. Turning, Stein saw the giant marble wizard's mouth opening. Standing at ready, Stein knew the boy's greatest weapon on his own was his silver tongue. Whatever he was now calling would be the real fight. Squinting, he saw a long, slithering mass in the shadows. Slowly, a large reptilian snout came into the light, then its whole head. It was a giant brown serpent with a crown of horns on its head.

"Basilisk!" Stein gasped, shutting his eyes tight. The Basilisk's gaze was rumored to have the power to kill anyone who looked directly into it.

"Spirit, you be my eyes." Stein whispered.

"Not to appealing of an agreement, but sure." Spirit sneered as Stein rushed forward.

He could hear the great snake slithering for him, but with the soul he felt distorting his senses, there was little he could do without his eyes. The only choice was resonance. Sure enough, from the even the slightest twitches and jerks Spirit made as Stein wielded him, he knew exactly where and how to move. Eyes closed tight, Stein kicked into the air over the Basilisk's sweeping tail, bringing Spirit crashing down into the tail. Instantly, the serpent began to thrash and hiss for them. Avoiding the snap of its jaws, Stein jumped high into the air, shooting down for it with a strong punch, casting his sutures, disabling the snake's movements completely. Jumping back to rush it, Stein hurried for the basilisk, only to jump as it snapped for him, breaking free of its sutures soon after.

"Looks like I won't be able to take it out that easily." Stein hissed. "I'll have to do this the hard way…"

Leaping out into the basin, Stein hurried behind a snake sculpture and cleared his mind. He needed to find the Basilisk's heart, and the best way to get a lead was to first find its heartbeat. He could hear it slithering about as it looked for them, he could hear it hiss angrily, but Stein was still having trouble finding its heart beat. Just then, he was certain he could hear it. Barely breathing, he listened closer and closer, almost able to hear it clearly. He'd be able to find it in no time. Suddenly he heard the boy speak in his strange tongue.

Stein turned quickly, his body feeling like ice. The young Voldemort had just told the Basilisk where they were!

"Dammit!" Stein roared as he rushed away. "I almost had its heartbeat!"

The Basilisk lunged; shattering the snake sculpture like it was nothing. Stein had to hurry. The resonance was beginning to take a toll on both him and Spirit. With a deep breath, Stein turned and rushed for the Basilisk, swinging Spirit overhead as he slid beneath the basilisk. The death scythe sank into the snake's side but did not cut all the way through. Kicking up from the ground, Stein flipped onto the rampaging beast and latched onto it with all his might, laying his head onto the snake's side. He could hear it as if it were pounding in his head. This was it. Seizing Stein, flipping into the air, Stein opened his eyes just enough to spot his mark. Jabbing Spirit into the Basilisk's body, the creature roared loudly, writhing and squirming violently, then falling limp into one of the basins. He then turned his attention to the young Voldemort, his face was impassive as always but his eyes burned with derision. He attempted to bring Spirit's blade down on the book but a dozen ink-black tendrils burst from its pages, pushing the blade back and gripping Stein's throat and wrists.

"I'm not doing this, Stein." the boy said solemnly. "You are."

"Stein, don't listen to him!"

"You're pushing your own blade back because in your heart, you don't want to fight me."

"Stein, he's lying! He's doing this!"

"You don't want to fight me because you know I am right. The _friends_ you have are afraid of you because you're so much more than they could ever hope to be."

"STEIN! FIGHT HIM!"

"Like me, you're feared because you're superior. Don't let them suppress you any longer, Stein. Let your friend go and stand by my side."

Almost instantly, Stein stopped his attack, turning to face the youth.

"STEIN! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Spirit called in disbelief. "WE'RE NOT AFRAID OF YOU! WE DON'T WANT YOU TO GO!"

"Y'know what, Spirit?" Stein said slowly, giving the screw in his head a turn. "I could really go for a smoke or two."

Turning quickly, Stein brought his glowing fist down onto the book, easily shredding through the black tendrils and causing the young Voldemort to jolt violently, dropping to his knees, roaring in fury as Stein swung Spirit in an arc for the book, running it through with his Witch Hunter technique.

The young Voldemort quickly dissolved into black and green mist, which evaporated. They had succeeding in destroying one piece of his damaged soul.

"You think he knows?" Spirit wondered. "We just destroyed part off his soul. He must have felt something."

"Who knows." said Stein. "It's been detached from him for so long that he might not be able to feel anything, that could give us a great advantage."

"You know, for a second I thought you were gonna give into him. How come you didn't?"

"Beats me." Stein said, giving his neck another crack. "Sounded like a decent enough deal. I guess I just felt like killing the little bastard."

"Y'know…" Spirit began as they turned to leave. "You scare me when you talk like that, Stein."

"You're too kind."


	10. Chapter 9

Kid made it to the seaside, not far from London. He was able to easily navigate the treacherous cliffs with his hover board, Beelzebub (with Liz and Patty tucked safely in his jacket). The night air was frigid and the wind was strong enough to blow an ordinary human into the raging sea. Kid was not a human, though. He was a reaper, like his father and while he was flesh and blood, he was certainly harder to kill than any human. He scanned the cliff sides until he found what he was looking for, a great fissure in the wall. Only with good mountaineer's equipment…or magic could a human have possibly made it down safely. But Riddle was a child when he first came here, according to Mrs. Cole. So how could he have gotten not only himself but two ordinary children down safely? It was inconceivable.

As he sped toward the fissure, he felt a very sharp pain in his hand. A creature was hanging onto his arm. It had a slimy cephalopod-like body, long clawed fingers, a bulbous tentacled head, and a mouth full of tiny but sharp conical teeth that were biting down on his hand. It was a grindylow, an aquatic demon. Grindylows were not considered a threat in small numbers, but they were known to gather in larger numbers and eat swimmers. He grabbed its tentacle and threw it back into the sea. He continued deep into the fissure until he came to a dead end. He hopped off Beelzebub and began feeling the wall, hoping to touch some kind of switch.

"Hey, Sis." he heard Patty say. "What's the difference between stalagmite and stalactite?"

"Stalagmite's got an M in it, now be quiet." Kid snapped.

As soon as Kid touched the wall with his bleeding hand, the rocks began sliding away to reveal an opening into a deep cave.

"_Interesting." _Kid thought. _"Clearly Voldemort made it so payment must be made to gain passage."_

He crept quietly into the cave and the opening closed behind him. The cave was pitch-black, but Kid's reaper eyes allowed him to see a little. He could just make out a smooth black lake before him. There was no telling what could be lurking in it, but if he used Beelzebub, he would surely alert whatever might be alive in there. He removed his jacket, tore off part of a sleeve, and used it to wrap his bleeding hand. He then grabbed Liz and Patty and switched on the lights he had attached to them before the trip. He began wading slowly through the shallows until only his head was above the surface, he then began swimming. The water was fresh, so he had to kick hard to keep from sinking. He gripped Liz and Patty tightly, ready to shoot anything that wasn't a fish. He kept paddling until he came to a crystal island large enough for maybe ten people to stand on. In the center was a tall pedestal, upon which rest a gleaming silver and gold crown with a green gem embedded in it. Kid could feel a feint soul wavelength coming from it.

"That's it, the Horcrux!" he hissed.

When he got to a shallow area in front of the island, he stood up. As soon as he set foot on it, the mass of crystal began to glow a pale green, illuminating the center of the cave.

"Kid!"

He whirled around, nearly slipping on the slick crystal and saw dozens of slimy, grey human corpses dragging themselves toward him; dead men, women, and even children reanimated to guard the Horcrux. How many had suffered a cruel, untimely death at the hands of Voldemort himself? Kid unleashed a barrage of beams from Liz and Patty, but for each dead guardian that went down, another seemed to surface in its place. Three of the things came close to Kid, but with a sweep of his leg he broke through their knees, sending them tumbling back into the lake. One came up behind him and forced its bony fingertips into his rips, while a dead little boy jumped on him and bit hard into his shoulder. They dragged him into the lake and held him under. The whole time, he never released the triggers of his pistols. The struggle went on for what seemed like hours, each shot Kid took expended more of his soul's precious energy and he was losing blood fast, but the things wouldn't stay down!

"Kid, you can't keep this up!" Liz called. "Shoot the damn Horcrux!"

Kid fired a few shots at the crown, but all it managed to do was knock it off the pedestal.

"Kid, we can't win!" Patty cried. "Let's get out of here!"

But Kid was certain that there was no escape, and even if they could get to the exit, he knew they might not get another chance at this. Voldemort might become alerted and move the Horcrux, it had to be destroyed now!

"I can't let this go!" Kid roared, "DEATH CANNON!"

"Kid, you'll-"

"NOW!"

At his command, Liz and Patty converted to their cannon forms. He pointed one cannon at the crown and the other at the direction they came from. While they charged up, the corpses clutching Kid tore deeper into his flesh and he let out an agonized cry.

"FIRE!"

"You'll die!" Patty cried, sounding close to tears.

"DO IT!" he shrieked. "I MAY AS WELL TAKE A PIECE OF HIM WITH ME! FIRE!"

Unable to resist their meister's commands any longer, Liz and Patty each expelled a thick golden beam, shattering the island and searing the hordes of corpses. The water around them churned violently and morphed into a skull-like face which pushed him toward the wall. Liz and Patty went back to their human forms, grabbed their meister and pushed him through the hole he blasted in the wall. When the violent torrent died down, they squeezed through and rushed over to Kid.

"Patty." Liz said as she held Kid, her voice somewhat shaky. "Transform so I can alert someone."

Patty transformed and Liz fired a few shots into the sky, hoping that someone would see them. It wasn't long before they heard their names called. They looked up and saw Stein, Spirit, and the witch who went to the academy to retrieve them at the edge of the cliff above.

"Kid's dying!" Liz called, holding Kid up.

The witch drew her wand and levitated Kid up to Stein's arms. She did the same for Liz and Patty and Spirit hoisted them up. The witch then waved her wand over Kid and his injuries began to disappear.

"I shall take him to the castle." she said. "Madam Pomfrey should have little trouble healing him. All of you, touch my arms."

"Thank you." Patty said softly.

Each of them placed a hand on one of the witch's arms and they vanished with another loud snap.


	11. Chapter 10

Little Hangleton was a quaint, but somewhat dreary town. Tsubaki cautiously followed Black Star, who seemed oblivious to the suspicious glances they got from the somber townsfolk. She glanced up at the thick canopy of clouds above them and thought they resembled a cluster of grinning skulls. They got to a small house on the outskirts of the town and noticed an old man tending his garden.

"Excuse us." Tsubaki said gently, but the man did not seem to hear her.

"Hey, old timer!" Black Star barked.

The old man grimaced and a bulging vein appeared on his forehead. He turned his head slowly to face the snickering Black Star, and then he turned his attention to Tsubaki who now had a massive bead of sweat running down her head.

"Uh, excuse him." she said with an awkward grin. "We just want to know where the Riddle House is."

"Riddle House…" the man grumbled, "It's at the top of the hill. Why the bloody hell you want to go there?"

"Project for school." Tsubaki said quickly. She wasn't even lying, really.

As they got close to the top of the hill, a small cemetery came into view. It was decrepit and gothic to the extreme. There wasn't a shred of vegetation in the soil and there was an enormous grim reaper statue in the center. It made the cemetery they confronted Sid in look almost pleasant. Black Star noticed the name **TOM RIDDLE **inscribed on the base of the statue and he approached it.

"I wonder…" he whispered.

"Black Star?"

Black Star held up a hand for silence while he listened for a soul wavelength. He could hear a faint hissing sound coming from beneath the ground here.

"This is it." he said. "The Horcrux is in here. Tsubaki, kusarigama mode."

Tsubaki transformed into a chain-scythe and Black Star began hacking and digging away at the grave with her. It wasn't long before he unearthed a coffin. He pried it open and found a human corpse. It appeared to be male and was clutching a golden cup with what looked like a badger engraved on it.

"This is Tom Riddle's grave so that means…" Tsubaki began.

"His father, I bet." said Black Star.

He reached down for the cup but without warning, the corpse grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"Son of a-!"

He pulled his arm free and back flipped out of the grave. He looked around and saw a dozen more corpses tearing their way out of the soft soil. He had Tsubaki turn into a shuriken and flung her at the things. She spun in an arc, beheading three of them and came back to him.

"Take this, you deadbeats!"

He then dashed forward and began slicing through the others with ease.

It didn't take long for the things to (literally) pull themselves back together and the grim reaper statue moved from its base and began gliding toward them.

"This just keeps getting better. Tsubaki, enchanted sword mode!"

Tsubaki transformed and he dashed away from the statue as it swung its scythe down at him. He launched himself toward each dead sentry and sliced it down the middle. He then turned and parried some strikes from the statue. He tried hacking into it, but all he made were a few scratches on its surface.

"This thing's tough, like a golem or something!" said Black Star.

Behind the statue, he noticed some of the fallen corpses were getting back to their feet.

"We need to put an end to this thing quickly!" Tsubaki pointed out.

Black Star had an idea, but it was reckless. This statue was animated by magic, so what if he were to attack it with his soul wavelength? Would that cancel the magic and make it stop moving? There was one way to find out. He hurled Tsubaki into the nearest corpse and grabbed a hold of the statue's scythe. He swung up to its head and slammed his fists down on it.

"Black Star Big Wave!"

He sent his unique wave of energy through it and shattered its head. He landed behind it and backed away as it glided toward him, it wasn't long before it tilted forward and crashed onto the ground. He then rolled forward and snatched Tsubaki. He beheaded each corpse that came near him and jumped back into Riddle's grave. He brought Tsubaki's enchanted blade down on the cup, cracking it apart. The earth beneath them began to heat up immensely and he jumped out of the grave in time to avoid being seared by a fountain of molten rock, which was forming into a skull-like face and emitting a ghoulish moan. He landed safely on the ground as the molten rock subsided and looked up to see the clouds parting to reveal a tranquil sunrise.

"Maybe now the people here can lighten up a little." Black Star suggested. "Who knows, maybe they'll even ask me to be their king, and you can be my queen!"

Tsubaki blushed a little.

"Let's just go and contact Lord Death." she said with a giggle.

"Yeah, who'd wanna be king of a boring place like this anyway?"

Tsubaki smiled as Black Star marched proudly and smugly back through the village. He was much more mature than he used to be, but he still never failed to make her laugh.


	12. Chapter 11

Maka raced through the moonlit forest of Albania, darting between trees to shake the thundering giant behind her. Though undoubtedly strong, the giant was dim-witted and slow-moving. Maka leapt over a canyon, leaving the giant bellowing in frustration behind her. All she needed was Witch-Hunter to slice through its fleshy hide, but the more stops she made, the longer it would take her to find the Horcrux.

"I can sense a soul wavelength nearby." she said. "It's weak, but it feels just like _him."_

"You sure?" Soul asked and he quickly added, "Of course you're sure."

"I'll never forget the way his soul felt. He's poison, just like Medusa!" Maka growled.

"Don't let your anger get out of control." Soul warned. "We've been on the receiving end of his magic; we know how dangerous he is."

"No, Soul." said Maka, grimly. "We only know a few of his spells. Who knows what else he has in his arsenal?"

As she made her way out of a deep trench, she felt a presence above her. She rolled to the left as a hairy brown spider dropped down. Its body was about the size of a dog's and its legs were twice as long as hers. It had two large black eyes, and six smaller ones.

"Big-ass spider!" Soul exclaimed.

Over a dozen more spiders were descending from the trees on their silk.

"They look like wolf spiders." Soul commented. "But I've never heard of them being able to use their silk like that."

Not fond of anything that had more than four legs, Maka swung Soul and sliced apart the first spider that leapt at her. She then went back to running as more of them descended. She sliced four trees down, hoping it would squash some of the spiders, or at least discourage them from chasing her. She leapt up a cliffside, pried a boulder loose with Soul's blade and watched it tumble down the hill knocking one of the spiders into its companions. The spiders tumbled out of sight and she hurried through the hills until she spotted a decrepit old house. As she got close to it, she felt the fragment of Voldemort's soul a bit more strongly; a Horcrux must have been inside. She pushed open the door (which, surprisingly was unlocked) as quietly as she could.

The inside of the house was even more dismal than the outside. It was dead-silent, but by no means peaceful. The air was still, yet heavy and oppressive. As she made her way up the staircase, the desire to leave became stronger, though she knew she could not. This was how she felt right before she entered the cathedral she first met Crona in. When she reached the second floor, she sensed Voldemort's wavelength coming from a room at the far end of the hall. It seemed to be a master bedroom. The bed was covered in old, busted dolls and there was a large vanity with a small stone basin on it. The basin was full of murky black liquid, but at the bottom, Maka could just make out what looked like a locket.

"This is it, the Horcrux." she whispered.

She reached into the basin with Soul's blade in an attempt to scoop the locket out but the blade could not penetrate the potion's surface, as though it had suddenly frozen. Maka withdrew Soul's blade and took a deep breath. It looked as though she would have to stick her hand in. She started with just one finger but still could not get past the surface. What was most unusual was that it felt lukewarm, but it also felt like solid, rough ice as she slid her finger about its rippling surface. She grabbed the basin and tried to tip it, but it would not budge. It only continued to ripple, just as before. Maka closed her eyes and set Soul down, who returned to his human form a moment later.

"Whaddya doin'?"

"I can think of only one way to get the locket." she said, unsettled. "I think all of that stuff has to be swallowed."

"Then, I'll do it." said Soul.

"No!" Maka replied, louder than she meant to. "You've already gotten hurt because of-"

That was as far as she got, Soul struck her hard on the back of the neck and caught her before she hit the floor.

"Sorry…" he muttered. "…but it's not always about you. The sooner you get that through your head, the better."

He shoved the creepy, broken dolls off the bed and laid the unconscious Maka on it. Even if Soul did die, Maka still had a chance of destroying the Horcrux, but he doubted that he'd be able to. Maka was part meister and part weapon, something that was very rare; she would still be able to fight without him if she had too. He lowered his head to the basin, pressed his lips against the liquid and began sucking it up. At first it tasted just like water but his stomach and throat quickly started burning. He fell back and began coughing and gagging. He imagined this was what it would feel like if he'd had acid poured down his throat. He coughed up some blood, went back to the basin and started slurping up more of the foul liquid. This time, he felt no physical pain, but he could hear laughter in his head, and he knew who it belonged to. Ignoring it, he drank on, more laughter, this time in warped, deep and high pitched voices, however, as he drank on, the voices became less distorted, sounding more and more like his teachers and fellow DWMA students. Closing his eyes tight, he slurped weakly at the shrinking liquid. Next thing he knew, he was surrounded by blackness.

* * *

><p>"Maddening isn't it, Evans?" said the familiar voice. "I know I'd want to know what the hell's going on if I were you."<p>

The lights came on and Soul found himself standing on the stage of a grand theater. All of his friends from the academy were in the front row, and the rest of the Evans family was in the balcony. He turned around and came face to face with the demon, who was now bigger than him.

"What the hell is this?" Soul demanded.

"Let's call it…the performance of your life."

"So…" Soul sneered, drawing a scythe. "If I beat you, you're gone for good?"

"We'll just have to see." the demon snickered. "But if I defeat you, I get control of this body…and you disappear…forever." the demon cackled. "How does that sound, boy?"

"Sounds like I get the short end of the stick." growled Soul.

"Ah, but first…" said the demon, "What's an epic final battle without some loud, dramatic music, and some ominous chanting? Maestro!"

The orchestra began to play, the chorus began to chant, and the demon slammed a hand down on the stage. A blue glow formed under Soul's feet and he leapt back to avoid being scorched by a geyser of blue flames. He then dashed forward, and flipped to the right to avoid a stream of fire from the demon's mouth. He made a few slashes at the demon, who put his long arms together to shield himself.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm at a disadvantage?" Soul muttered as he continued to dodge. "And why does every badass have to fight with fire!"

The demon reached down, grabbed Soul and threw him screaming high above his head. He then spewed another stream of fire at Soul, who just blocked it with his scythe. As he came down, he tried to slash at the demon's head, but the demon sent him flying into a wall with a swipe of his claws.

"Come on, Evans!" the demon taunted. "Give up already! You've reached your zenith! You're nothing!"

The curtains moved aside to reveal a screen which began showing Soul and Maka's defeats, near-victories, and close calls: Their first battle with Stein, their disastrous first fight with Crona, their struggle against the werewolf, their skirmish with Giriko, their empty victory against Mosquito, and their brutal defeat at the hands of Voldemort.

"When have you ever been able to protect the ones you love?" The demon spat as Soul turned back around to face him. "**She **doesn't even need you anymore! You may as well just DISAPPEAR!"

"Shaddup!" Soul spat back. "You're nothing but crap! You'll **always** be crap!"

The demon spewed another stream of fire which set the curtains alight and melted the screen. He spewed more flames, which Soul used to heat up his blade until it was red-hot. Now he could slice through the demon like warm butter, if he could get close enough. The demon then drew a scythe of his own, with a jagged, rusty blade shaped like a set of piano keys, and parried Soul's furious strikes.

"You're tiring out." The demon taunted. "Youth really is wasted on the young."

"Stop rambling!" Soul retorted. "You're not older than me!"

"That's right, because I **am **you." The demon declared. "You can't destroy me. You don't know what will happen."

"Do I care?"

With that, Soul knocked the scythe out of the demon's hand; it flew clear across the theater and faded from existence before it could hit the floor. Soul then brought his scythe up hard, slicing the demon up the middle.

"I'm a man now, demon." Soul said placidly. "I'm complete without you."

The demon said nothing, but dissolved into black smoke, a slight smile spreading across his face as he disappeared. He was no more. Slowly, the theater faded from existence and Soul was surrounded by silent darkness once again.

* * *

><p>Maka's eyes flew open and she sprung herself upward to see Soul lying on the floor with a trickle of blood clinging to his lip. She examined him and found that his heartbeat, breathing, and pulse were steady. She also saw that the stone basin was drained enough that she could grab the locket.<p>

"ughhh…"

Soul had woken up, coughing and gagging. Maka raised her hand as if to hit him, but quickly thought better of it. She flung her arms around him and embraced him instead.

"That was a foolish thing to do, Soul." she breathed.

"No it wasn't." Soul replied, coolly as ever. "Even if something happened to me, you would still be able to destroy the Horcrux. Your weapon ability, remember?

"Y-yeah…I remember now…" said Maka, "…but you could have reminded me instead of hitting me like that. That wasn't cool."

"I wasn't taking any chances." Soul said, unsure if this statement could justify him hitting a girl.

"Whatever's in here…" Maka said, examining the locket. "…I imagine it will put up a fight. Let's take it outside."

Maka carried the locket outside and placed it on a tree stump. She had Soul transform and lifted him high above her head, summoning her vast reserves of strength. Just as she was about to bring Soul's blade down however, the locket swung open to reveal a cold, vivid, unnaturally blue eye. In that instant, Maka became frozen in place and was surrounded by darkness. All she could see was the eye, which was staring right back at her.

"_I can see into your soul…"_

Maka remembered the voice well.

"_I can see your past…It is familiar to me…a disappointing father…and a mother who left you."_

Maka was plunged into a vision from her childhood; she was maybe five years old, but somehow old enough to know that her father was betraying her mother. He was walking down a shadowy road with other women. Maka ran as fast as her tiny legs would allow, but could not catch up to him. Tears of frustration and desperation slid down her face as she tripped. She tried to cry out for her father but no sound came out. She opened her eyes and saw him standing with his back facing her. She rushed over to him but when he turned around his face was white and skull-like with blue-green reptilian eyes. Another vision engulfed her; a young man blasting a burning green beam into a much older man.

"_You know what you must do…"_

The next thing she saw was herself striking her father down in a cold fury.

"_You must kill him…he was unfaithful to your mother…to you…he deserves it."_

The slaughtering continued to play over and over again, more gruesome and warped each time, but Maka could not take her eyes off of it. What if this was what her father deserved? What if this was why her mother really left? Her father no longer had a place in her heart, he couldn't possibly, but could she hurt him? Would it make her mother come back?

"MAKA! SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Soul's voice rang painfully in her ears, bringing her back to her senses. What had she been thinking! Before she could bring her blade down, an immense cloud of darkness burst out of the locket, hurling her back. It was freezing cold and burning hot at once, and it made her feel numb and heavy. A cluster of black bolts snaked out from the pulsating cloud and Maka rolled aside to avoid them.

"VOLDEMORT!" she roared, charging toward the locket. "NO MERCY!"

Her fury and determination morphed Soul's blade into the blazing azure blade of Witch-Hunter. She flipped herself over the cloud as it expelled more dark bolts and swung the ethereal blade of energy down. The blade sliced through the clouds, but could not come any closer to the locket. Eyes stinging and tearing, Maka heard the haunting laughter of Voldemort as if he were right behind her. Gritting her teeth tighter and tighter, her jaws beginning to bleed from the pressure, she morphed Soul into her mighty Genie-Hunter and shattered the locket with ease. She released Soul and picked up the broken, powerless locket.

"Not… not so bad, huh…?" she said blankly, swaying on the spot, blood trickling down the edge of her mouth.

She tilted back and Soul caught her.

"Let's tell Lord Death that we destroyed a Horcrux." Soul said, "We'll use that vanity." he said, holding his hand out for Maka. She smiled and took his hand. Their work was starting to pay off.


	13. Chapter 12

Lord Death sat by his recovering son in the castle's hospital wing. The nurse, Madam Pomfrey had no trouble healing his physical injuries but his soul was still not at full strength. He had expended much of his spiritual energy fighting off a horde of inferi. Had he kept it up, he would surely have died. Death poured some of his own energy into Kid, a risky move considering how weak his own soul got when he left the boundaries of Death City. By all accounts, he shouldn't be able to leave the city at all, but due to his near-fatal injury at the hands of Asura, the only way to save his life was to transfer his soul back into what remained of his body at the time. The process had been painful, and because of it, Death's life-span was likely reduced, but it was a small price to pay for his newfound freedom. Once Kid became a full-fledged Reaper, Death would certainly pass away (There could only be one god of death after all).

"Unngh…"

Kid slowly opened his eyes.

"My son."

He stroked his son's head and resolved to savor every remaining day with him, just as soon as Voldemort was vanquished.

"How…am I still alive?"

"I poured some of my own soul's energy into you." Death Explained.

Kid looked very unsettled by this.

"It's alright, son." Death promised him. "Your old man still has plenty of life left."

Suddenly, he sensed that someone was trying to contact him.

"Madame!" he called. "Could you please bring me a mirror?"

She handed him a small mirror and Soul Eater's face came into focus.

"Hiya, Soul."

"We did it, Lord Death." said Soul with his toothy grin. "The Horcrux is toast."

"Splendid, I knew I could count on the two of you." said Death. "Where is Maka?"

"Resting, for the moment."

"Let her rest for a bit and then get back to the academy."

"Understood."

The image shimmered for a bit and Black Star's face came into view, he was looking mighty proud of himself.

"Hey, boss! Scratch one Horcrux!" he said.

"Excellent, Black Star. Get back to the academy at once, Kid and I will join you soon."

Black Star nodded and his image shimmered and vanished.

"Four Horcruxes destroyed." Death sighed. "This is a good day."

"So we're close to beating Voldemort?" asked Kid.

"I believe so." said Death. "Assuming of course that he hasn't created any more, which I very much doubt. As long as he doesn't find out that we've destroyed his Horcruxes, we have a **huge** advantage."

It was good to be back in Nevada and far away from that cold forest. But something seemed to be bothering Maka.

"After we destroyed that locket, part of me hoped that Voldemort was in pain." she confessed. "And I know I shouldn't."

Her fierce green were so full of conflict and pain, it was hard to see her this way. Soul pulled her close as a tear slid from her eye.

"I hate him so much." she muttered.

"It's all just part of being human." Soul said softly. "I gotta admit, there's times when I wish I **wasn't** human."

"Maka, baby!"

It was Blair. She was running toward them in one of her risqué gothic outfits; black leather (with an unnatural purplish tint) and striped magenta stockings. Blair was a total knockout but she was often nothing but trouble.

"That Black Star kid told me what you did. Let's go celebrate!" she said, taking Maka's hand.

"Celebrate?"

Clearly Maka was wondering if there was any cause for celebration.

"Go on." Soul said softly, patting Maka's shoulder.

"You're welcome too, Soul." Blair said smoothly. "My pumpkinshakes are almost as irresistible as I am."

"In your dreams and in my nightmares." Soul replied with a grin, partly playful and partly derisive.

He turned and headed back to his and Maka's apartment for some well earned and much needed rest.

* * *

><p>Voldemort sat in Medusa's old lair waiting for Eruka and Mizune to contact him and give him Maka's whereabouts. She was a rare challenge and he wanted one last duel with her before he killed her. Finally, he sensed one of them trying to contact them with their dark marks. He held Medusa's crystal ball and their faces appeared in it.<p>

"We found her, my lord." Eruka said, smiling.

"She's far enough away from the academy that we can take her down before anyone comes to her rescue." Mizune added with a snicker.

"Excellent, subdue her at once." Voldemort hissed. "I can heal any injuries she suffers but make sure she is alive when you bring her back."

"But what about her partner?" asked Eruka.

"I've no interest in him."

Voldemort had experienced Maka's weapon ability for himself. He had never heard of a meister having that kind of ability before, but he would be ready for it this time and he would finally avenge his old mentor's death.

* * *

><p>Maka sat gulping down one of Blair's spiced pumpkinshakes. Blair tried to convince Maka to let her add a little liquor to it, but Maka respectfully declined. She just wasn't much of a party girl, to Blair's slight disappointment.<p>

"Really, Maka. You and Soul together in a dark forest." she teased. "You should have stayed longer."

"Stayed?"

"You know…for a night of **passion**." Blair purred.

"Oh, stop it." Maka said, blushing.

"Soul is adorable." Blair sighed. "Too bad he can't warm up to me. I guess he hasn't forgotten all the pummelings you gave him."

"Think of it as a running gag." Maka joked.

The two girls chuckled for a bit, but their merriment was interrupted by an explosion which sent them tumbling and tore the living room apart.

"Hello, Maka." said a snide voice.

Two Death Eaters slunk in through the smoking hole in the wall. One was a short frog-eyed girl with bluish hair and the other was a taller girl with pink hair.

"Ever since we heard that you killed Medusa, many of us have wanted a shot at you. Unfortunately, the dark lord wants you alive so he can have the pleasure of killing you."

"Who the hell cares?" Blair piped up, jumping to her feet. "How DARE you make a mess of my house?"

Before either could make a move, Blair launched her Halloween Cannon and blasted both witches back outside.

"Maka, you take the frog-girl!" she called. "I'll take the mouse-girl! I still owe her for last time!"

The mouse-girl got to her feet and six long glowing whiskers protruded from her face. She flew toward Blair, attempting to slice through her with her whiskers. Blair leapt over her and brought the full force of her Smashing Pumpkin technique down on her. She landed and watched as the mouse-girl slowly got out of the crater.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Mouse-girl shot a bright green beam from a wand she kept concealed in her sleeve, it narrowly missed Blair.

"Careful, Blair!" Maka shouted as she leapt over and rolled under frog-girl's bombs. "That's a killing curse!"

Blair conjured pumpkins as shields as mouse-girl sent more killing curses at her. Frog-girl had also drawn a wand and conjured chains which were constricting Maka. This would not do! Maka was one of Blair's few real friends and neither Spirit nor Soul would forgive her if she let anything happen to her. She reverted to her cat form and dashed past mouse-girl's curses and spells. When she got close, she transformed again and kicked mouse-girl high into the air. She conjured several explosive pumpkins around mouse-girl and made them all close in on her at once.

_Boom!_

The combined explosions lit up the night sky and mouse-girl's ashes rained down.

"M-Mizune!" frog-girl cried.

Maka broke free of the chains, kicked her to the ground and held two scythe blades to her chest.

"DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE!" frog-girl shrieked.

"What do you think, Blair?" asked Maka.

"Makes no difference to me." Blair said with a shrug. "But I guess having a flat chest like hers is punishment enough." she added with a snicker.

"R-ribbit…p-please." frog-girl croaked.

Tears of pure terror were welling up in her eyes, it was a pitiful sight. Maka liked to think of herself as benevolent, so she retracted the blades in her arms.

"Go then." she sighed.

Th…thank you." frog-girl gasped.

She transformed into a frog and began leaping away. Blair spotted mouse-girl's wand on the ground and picked it up.

"Goodie, now I can fix up my hou-"

Another killing curse came from above and hit her right in the back.

"Blair!" Maka gasped.

Before she could make another move, red-hot pain shot through her back and she hit the ground. She rolled over and saw another Death Eater; she was clad in black like the rest, had a pale gaunt face, curly black hair, and crazed dark eyes. Maka was too stunned from the spell to produce her blades. The witch pointed her wand at Maka's face and cackled gleefully. Before she could cast another spell though, another scythe blade burst from her center and Maka knew almost instantly who it belonged too.

"Not my daughter, you bitch!" Spirit hissed.

He pulled his blade out of the witch and she groaned in agony and her body dissolved into black smoke, revealing a twisted purple and green soul. Spirit sliced the soul in half and it flickered from existence, then he morphed his blade back into his hand.

"You okay?"

Maka sprang to her feet, rushed over to her father and squeezed him tightly for the first time in many years.

Blair got slowly to her feet and groaned; she had seven souls left now and was never quite so grateful to be a cat.

"Maka…"

She looked up at was met by a most shocking sight; Maka and her father embracing each other! Could this be? She quickly wiped a tear away, being friends with those two for so long had made her sentimental.

"Dammit, Maka, Spirit, look at me now." she sighed. "This is your fault."

It hardly mattered now though, she ran over and embraced them both.


	14. Chapter 13

"You should all be very proud of your wonderful achievements!" Lord Death said to Maka, Black Star, and Kid. "I have decided to award each of you the rank of Two-Star Meister!"

"Yahoo! Finally!" cried Black Star.

"Why I didn't make you all two-star meisters two seasons ago is beyond me." Death admitted, scratching his head. "Well, no matter."

"What about our partners, sir?" asked Maka.

"They will be able to enjoy the same benefits as you," Death assured her. "I believe they have earned as much."

"So what shall we do now, start looking for Voldemort?" Kid wondered.

"I already sent Sid and Azusa looking for him," said Death. "I sent them to the place I think he is most likely to be right now."

* * *

><p>Sid stood outside what should have been Medusa's lair. What he saw was a big cliff, but Stein, who directed him here told him that Voldemort may have put a charm on the building to disguise it. He had Azusa use her clairvoyance to try and locate Voldemort.<p>

"I can see him…" she said. "He's in the center."

"What's he doing?" Sid asked.

"I…I can't tell…I'm not sure I like this."

"Alright, I'm going in." Sid decided.

"I still think you're going to need a weapon!" Azusa urged him.

"I prefer to be the only one at risk." said Sid. "Besides, I've got my tombstone." he added with something resembling a grin.

Sid hurried through the illusion and through the maze-like corridors of Medusa's lair, following Azusa's directions. When he reached the center, where Voldemort was supposed to be, he found it empty. Suddenly, he heard something rushing toward him. Just as he whirled around, he was gripped by something long and black, Voldemort was standing on a nearby platform and the sleeves and hem of his robe had extended into powerful tendrils that were gripping Sid's wrists and throat.

"Did you really think you could assassinate me?" he taunted. "Avada Kedavra!"

He raised his wand and shot a green beam into Sid, who continued to struggle, much to Voldemort's surprise.

"Ah, I see!" he said with dawning understanding. "You're already dead! Tell me, who performed this little miracle on you?"

"When I was alive, I knew how to keep secrets!" Sid spat. "I was that kind of man."

"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to spill every drop of your zombie blood."

He made a few slashing motions with his wand, but only light cuts appeared on the now magic-resistant Sid (Stein had made a few improvements to him when the Death Eater threat arose). He broke free of the tendrils and dropped down onto the eerie glowing green floor below. As he ran, he glanced behind him and saw a great flaming serpent chasing him. He dove past some chunks of stone Voldemort dropped down at him and started wall-kicking his way back up to him. He hurled himself toward Voldemort and attempted his "Living End" attack, but Voldemort morphed into black smoke and apparated to the other end of the room just in time. He then fired a barrage of curses at Sid, who blocked them with his tombstone, shattering it. Out of nowhere came a golden orb which missed Voldemort by a hair, it came from Azusa. Seeing that he was outnumbered, Voldemort apparated again; this time he was gone.

"I had it under control." Sid growled.

"From where I was sitting, it looked like he had the advantage." Azusa retorted. "Right now, I think we should get back to the academy."

* * *

><p>Lord Death stood by the bulletin listening to Azusa's report. He understood Sid's reasons for going after Voldemort himself, but couldn't deny that it was reckless, especially for Sid.<p>

"I shall have a talk with Sid when his injuries are treated." he sighed.

So what now, do we keep looking for Voldemort?" Azusa asked.

"That crafty wizard could be anywhere in the world right now," he stated. "Trying to find him is useless, even with your wide field of vision. No, I think the best thing to do is wait for him to come to us."

"You really think he'll come here?"

At that moment a terrible gloom began spreading across the evening sky over Death City. Lord Death rushed to the entrance and saw an enormous skull-shape in the thick grey clouds.

"_I KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU ARE PREPARING TO FIGHT. YOUR EFFORTS ARE FUTILE. YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME."_

The voice was only a whisper but it resonated so strongly throughout the school that it seemed to come from everywhere. Dozens of students had their hands clapped over their ears, some of the younger ones where even on their knees, in tears.

"_I DO NOT WISH TO DESTROY YOU. I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR THIS HISTORIC SCHOOL. WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU, COME OUT AND JOIN US AND NONE SHALL BE HARMED. IF YOU DO NOT COME OUT, WE WILL BURN THIS CITY TO THE GROUND…"_


	15. Chapter 14

The whole academy was on the brink of panic, as Voldemort no doubt wanted. Everyone was gathered in the dance hall. Lord Death had just told everyone that no one was to leave the academy, and now the hall was filled with protests from students and staff alike.

"**SILENCE!" **Death roared, abandoning his friendly voice. **"Absolutely no one is to leave this building without my permission."**

"Lord Death, under the circumstances…" Azusa began, her usually cool, authoritative voice now somewhat shaky."

"**Voldemort is trying to frighten us into surrendering," **said Death. **"I will not allow it."**

"Even if it prevents him from destroying the city?"

"If innocent people start dying, their blood will be on your hands." said Stein, his voice livid.

"**Surrendering will not stop Voldemort and his followers from killing people," **said Death. **"My feelings tell me they will destroy all of you."**

Voldemort stood on the outskirts of Death City. Death and his followers had ample time to consider his warning but no one emerged from the school. It was time for them to learn the error of their ways.

"Everyone," he called, raising his wand. "Fiendfyre!"

An immense torrent of cursed fire emanated from his wand. One by one, his Death Eaters did the same and the flames began rushing through the city, blossoming into exquisite explosions loud enough to drown out the annoying screams of its denizens.

"That will do, I think." he said. "We don't want to do too much damage, not just yet."

He watched in malevolent delight as the Fiendfyre burned a path toward the academy.

Blinding flashes of orange and crimson alerted the students and staff. They looked out the windows and saw a sea of fire spreading through the city, making its way toward the academy.

"Look…he's doing just what he said he'd do," said Stein, his voice shaking with fury. "What are you going to do, Lord Death?

Death continued to stare at the spreading flames.

"Lord Death, whatever you're going to do, you need to do it now!" Azusa urged him.

"**Kid!" **Lord Death called. Kid was at his side in a heartbeat with Liz and Patty not far behind him. **"Son, I will deal with this myself. You shall be in charge while I am gone."**

"Me?" Kid gasped.

"**Yes, son. If anything happens to me, it will be up to you to lead everyone to victory!"**

Before anyone could plead or protest, Death whirled around and crashed through a window. He jetted into the city toward the approaching wave of fire. Kid watched in a mixture of fear and awe as his father reverted to his form from eight hundred years ago. He held out his now skeletal hands and grappled with the fire, which had morphed into a swarm of fiery serpents. He began absorbing it all into his hands, how much could he take?

"What are we gonna do, Kid?" said the sweet voice of Patty.

Kid turned around and saw that everyone in the hall was now looking at him. He looked to all his friends, his peers, and his teachers; finally he approached Azusa.

"Yumi, I'm going to help my father. He can't defend himself from all those Death Eaters, he's out of his depth."

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, struggling to stay objective.

"Find a vantage point and be ready to take out any Death Eaters who come after me."

Azusa nodded, her confidence returning. Kid then summoned Beelzebub and rose above everyone.

"I would like all of you to stay right here!" he called, summoning as much authority in his voice as he could. "I won't be gone long!"

He soared out the shattered window and saw his father absorbing most of the fire, while the rest burned idly. He swooped down and grabbed his father as he was about to collapse.

"KILL THEM!" a shrill voice cried.

He swerved and spun to avoid spells, clutching his father as tightly as he could. A few golden orbs from Azusa zipped past him, hopefully hitting some of the Death Eaters. He zoomed back to the academy, through the shattered window, and dropped his father into the arms of Sid and Professor Stein. The entire dance hall was now full of cheers.

"I'll be alright…I just need to rest for a few minutes." Death assured them.

"We'll take you to the Death Room." said Stein.

"No…no, take me to the dispensary and tell Justin to go to the Death Room."

"What for?" Sid asked.

"Just do it." Death sighed.

They nodded and carried him to the dispensary. Liz and Patty rushed up to Kid and flung their arms around him. Azusa dropped down from her vantage point.

"More Death Eaters are coming," she said. "And those soul-eating creatures are with them."

"Are there a lot of them?" Kid asked

"I counted twenty Death Eaters and I estimate a hundred of the creatures. They're all spreading out."

"Then we need to do the same!"

"YOU HEARD HIM!" Azusa shouted. "MARIE, TAKE THE INEXPERIENCED STUDENTS BELOW THE SCHOOL!"

Marie nodded and bade the newest, youngest students to follow her.

"Yumi, you and Spirit go and protect my father." said Kid. "Maka, Soul, Black Star, Tsubaki, come with me! We're going to find Voldemort and end him!"

He held out his hands and caught Liz and Patty in their pistol forms. He then led Maka and Black Star to the front doors while Azusa and Spirit rushed to the dispensary.

* * *

><p><em>note: OCs will play a very minor role in this section.<em>

The horrid specters were everywhere; the thick mist they produced made it hard to see them, and they seemed to suck all the warmth and life out of the air. They had a particularly strong effect on Crona, but he did not falter. Maka taught him to always be eager to prove himself as she did when she started out here. After his creator, Medusa nearly killed him he lost a lot of his black blood and so Professor Stein had to transfuse regular blood into him to keep him alive.

About a year had passed since that day and all the blood in Crona's body had turned black, he was back to his old strength. He had also made Ragnarok stronger by feeding him Kishin eggs. So far, he had claimed twenty, the average amount for a One-Star Meister. In his sword form, Ragnarok was now about as long as he was when they first fought Maka, but without the spikes on the hand guard and his blade now resembled that of a flamberge.

Two of the specters came toward Crona, so Ragnarok reverted to his demon form (he was now as tall as he was when they first fought Maka but not as freakishly muscular), reached out, grabbed them and slammed their heads together. Three more of them descended, so Ragnarok reverted back to his sword form and Crona launched a volley of dark orbs from the blade's tip, a new technique of his.

When the rest of the specters were bested, he proceeded further into the mist and found some of them frozen in ice, it must have been Joey's work; he was new at the academy and got along well with Crona. He saw two other new students; their names were Lori and Keese. Keese had Joey slung over his shoulder and Joey's dog was trotting next to him, looking fearful.

"Hey, Crona." said Keese nonchalantly.

"What happened to Joey?" Crona asked.

"Some of those things were feeding on him," said Keese. "He looked about ready to give up so I jumped in."

"Is…is he…?"

"He's still breathing, I think he'll be alright." said Keese. "He may be cranky when he wakes up, though. He'll probably be pissed that I didn't let those things finish him." he added snidely.

Suddenly an image rushed into Crona's mind: it was Miss Marie, she looked terrified, she must have been in danger. He turned and prepared to run.

"Where are you going? The battle's this way." said Keese.

"I have to find Miss Marie!" Crona said as he ran.

Marie was the closest thing Crona had to a real mother now, he couldn't lose her!

* * *

><p>Voldemort approached the entrance of the DWMA for the first time in fifty three years. It was exactly as he remembered it, apart from some smoking holes here and there. He'd sent Nagini into the grounds to hunt for prey. Normally he would not take her into a battle, but he'd promised her prey, so he placed a magical barrier around her to protect her from most energy-based attacks (he couldn't imagine anyone being brave or foolish enough to fight her up close). As he reached the top of the steps, three meisters came out to confront him. He recognized the one in the middle as Lord Death's son, to his right was Maka Albarn and to his left was a boy clad in grey with wild blue hair.<p>

"Well well," Voldemort taunted. "I was expecting Three-Star Meisters armed with Death-Scythes!"

"Why have you come here?" Death's son demanded. "What do you want?"

"I want this academy as my domain." Voldemort replied. "I will defeat Lord Death and become the new master of death!"

"Not while I live!" Death's son swore.

"You're going to die for all the innocent people you killed!" Maka declared.

"Any life not spent serving me is already wasted!" Voldemort spat.

Death's son unleashed a barrage of magenta beams from his guns, which Voldemort deflected with a wave of his wand and Maka sent a blazing wave of blue energy at him, which he evaded. The blue haired boy dashed toward him with a sword drawn, Voldemort could see bolts of dark energy dancing along its blade. The boy thrust the blade forward and a torrent of spectral shadows emanated from it. Voldemort glided away from the shadows, but the boy appeared behind him and made a few slashes, which Voldemort parried with an invisible blade from the tip of his wand.

He morphed into smoke-form and circled around them firing spells. He landed and sent a wave of dark magic at Maka, but the blue-haired boy jumped in front of her and sent another wave of shadows. Both waves collided for a few moments until the boy began pushing his closer to Voldemort. Death's son jumped high into the air and pelted Voldemort with beams from his guns; he ignored the pain and continued to struggle against the writhing mass of shadows that threatened to engulf him. Finally, he waved his arms, shrieked at the top of his lungs, and sent the shadows in all directions. Maka and the blue-haired boy went flying and Voldemort apparated into the building. He needed to find Death and finish him while he was resting. He was probably in the Death Room.


	16. Chapter 15

"ROYAL THUNDER!"

Ox waved his lightning spear, Harvar, sending the surrounding Death Eaters flying with his last bit of strength. He lost both of his eyes due to a Death Eater's curse but could still tell friendly souls from unfriendly ones. When the Death Eaters were bested, Harvar reverted to his human form and caught Ox.

"Kim, can you fix his eyes?" He asked, his usually cool, objective tone betrayed deep concern for his meister.

Kim placed her hand over Ox's eyes, recited her mantra and the blood slowly retreated back into his damaged sockets. Before long, his eyes were whole again and he could see as well as he could before his injuries. Suddenly two witches emerged; a Venus fly-trap witch and a witch who manipulated bees. The fly-trap witch sent green tendrils after the newly recovered Ox, but Kim sent a stream of fire from Jacqueline which made the witch retreat. The bee-witch was about to make her move when a burst of fire and lightning sent both witches flying, it was Kilik.

"Who said you could party without – "

"Horntaiiiil!" Ox cried.

"Huh?"

Ox pointed to a massive reddish brown dragon flying toward them. It had a crown of long conical horns on its head and on its tail.

"That's a Hungarian Horntail!" Ox shouted, "They're the WORST!"

The Horntail spewed thick streams of flame, setting the once beautiful garden alight. Kim sent a stream of fire from Jacqueline as the Horntail breathed again, both streams of fire collided as Kilik jumped up and drove Pot of Thunder into the Horntail's chest with all his might. At the same moment, Ox plunged Harvar's tip into its back. Both of them sent equally powerful surges of electricity into the Horntail, it shrieked and thrashed for a bit before collapsing.

"I think this one's still very young," Ox judged. "I don't think there's any need to kill it."

"You sure about that?" Kilik asked skeptically.

"Well, I only know what I've read," Ox admitted. "But I'm confident in my hypothesis."

The sound of explosions could be heard coming from the front of the school.

"Sounds like something's goin' on up front." said Kilik.

They rushed out of the garden, not even noticing the snake lying under some bushes, waiting for them to leave.

* * *

><p>Marie hurried down the hall leading from the shrine where Asura was once sealed. All of the first-year students were well hidden down there. They could look after each other for a few minutes, Marie was certain of that. She just needed to find out what was happening on the surface.<p>

"Marie!"

It was Stein, he was running down the hall toward her. The two of them stopped and embraced each other.

"What's going on up there?" she asked.

"Lord Death is almost ready to fight again. He just needs another minute or two." Stein told her. "Where are the first-years?"

"Down in the shrine." said Marie. "You should rejoin the battle, I'll keep protecting them."

"We'll defend them together." he said, grasping her hand.

She smiled at the man she loved but then gasped at the sight of a great greenish snake behind him. He whirled around and shoved her back as the snake lunged with lightning-speed and buried its fangs in his chest. He groaned loudly, grabbed its neck, and discharged his soul wavelength into it. It recoiled for a moment and lunged again, this time Stein evaded it. He tried to attack it with Soul-Force, but it was wicked-fast. It slithered around him and struck him in the side.

Marie morphed her hand into a hammer and knocked the snake away from him. The snake flew into a wall with a smack but rose moments later and began striking at Marie, who barely blocked each strike with her hammer. It whipped its tail around and smacked her hard in the face. She fell beside Stein and swung wildly at the snake, which slithered back and began circling them.

"_Not like this!" _Marie thought. _"Not to another snake!" _

Just as the snake drew back and bared its rows of sharp fangs, a familiar black blade slammed into its head, sending it flying again.

"Crona!" Marie gasped.

He now stood between them and the snake, clad in black and white with a violet glow around him.

"Crona…run!" Stein groaned.

But Crona did not budge.

As Crona stared into the snake's amber eyes, he was reminded of the little dragon Medusa forced him to squash when he was a child. All that stood between him and happiness was one more reptile, and he'd dispatch it just as easily, or so he thought. It moved with unnatural speed and was unusually durable. When he was younger, Medusa had given him a book about snakes and encouraged him to memorize as many as he could. This one looked like a python, but had a mouth full of fangs.

"Ragnarok, harden my blood." he whispered.

Crona's black blood was immune to most natural poisons and venoms, but this may have been a magical snake, he couldn't risk letting any of its venom get into his blood stream, there was no telling what effect it would have on him. Ragnarok hardened his blood and he began thrusting and slashing at the snake; he had done away with his old awkward fighting style and now moved with grace and confidence that surprised everyone (especially him), using only his right arm to attack while his left hand stayed folded behind his back. The snake managed a few bites, but could not penetrate Crona's blood and so the venom dripped right out of the wounds. Crona flipped the snake over and brought Ragnarok's blade down on its head, splitting it open. A burst of burning green energy erupted from the snake, scorching Crona's arms and sending him tumbling back. The snake's carcass then dissolved into black smoke. Ragnarok retreated back into his body and he helped Marie lift Stein.

"Get me…to my lab…" he breathed. "I have…something…that might help…"

* * *

><p>Voldemort blasted the door open and glided past the guillotines, in case Death intended to use them against him. When he got to the center of the Death Room, he found that Death was not here, there was only a strange white bird-like creature in a top hat, sipping tea at the table.<p>

"Hello, there!" it said in a pompous voice, slowly turning to face Voldemort. "Things certainly are…GOOD GOD, MAN! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?"

"Confringo." Voldemort sighed.

He pointed his wand and the strange little creature burst into flames. Suddenly, he detected an ambush coming from above. He shifted to the left as a boy dropped down and slashed at him. The boy was maybe eighteen, was dressed like a catholic priest, and had guillotine blades protruding from his forearms.

"Oh my…" the boy said in an annoyingly polite tone. "It is just as the great Lord Death said!"

Voldemort looked into the boy's eyes, he knew the look in them all too well, and he knew the tone he spoke with even better. He was treacherous and scheming, but whatever schemes he had would never be realized.

"You and I seem…alike, young Death-Scythe." Voldemort said in a tone matching the boy's. "I wonder if we could help one another."

"No, I do not think that will be necessary." the boy replied with a hint of mockery in his tone. "LAW ABIDING SILV–"

Before he could finish his technique, Voldemort blasted a hole in the ceiling, forcing him to roll away from the falling rubble. Voldemort took advantage of this with _Serpensortia_, he flourished his wand and several snakes burst from its tip and latched onto the boy. He shrieked in terror, trying to pull them off, but Voldemort did not give him time; he cast Fiendfyre and roasted the boy alive, before finally finishing him off with _Avada Kedavra. _It was overkill, but when it came to Death's forces, Voldemort preferred to be safe than sorry. He stormed out of the Death Room, debating whether to keep looking for Death or continue where he left off with Maka and Death's son. He got his answer when Maka leapt down from a balcony and tried to behead him.

* * *

><p>Maka leapt down to Voldemort from her hiding spot and attempted a <em>Figure Six Hunter, <em>but he morphed into smoke-form, hovered above her for a moment and unleashed a barrage of blasting curses, forcing her to jump from the staircase. He lifted her back up with telekinesis and prepared to cast another curse but Kid shot his wand out of his hand. He hurled Maka into Kid and swooped down to retrieve his wand in time to shield himself from Black Star's slashes.

"Stupid snake man!" Black Star spat.

He whirled and kicked Voldemort in the chest, Voldemort hit the wall with a smack and rolled to the right as Black Star leapt forward and tried to run him through. Maka scored several deep cuts in him and Kid pelted him with beams. Clearly overwhelmed, Voldemort disapparated. At that moment, Death entered the room armed with Spirit.

"**Where is he?" **he asked.

"He disappeared." Maka breathed.

"We did some damage to him, though!" Black Star said with a grin.

'_YOU HAVE FOUGHT VALIANTLY…BUT IN VAIN…" _Voldemort's voice echoed from afar. _"LORD DEATH, YOU HAVE ALLOWED YOUR STAFF, YOUR PROTECTORS, AND EVEN YOUR STUDENTS TO DIE FOR YOU RATHER THAN FACE ME YOURSELF. THERE IS NO GREATER DISHONOR. I AM WAITING FOR YOU ON A PLATEAU NOT FAR FROM HERE…COME AND FIND ME…WE WILL SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL…NO DEATH-SCYTHES…THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME."_


	17. Chapter 16

The sun was rising as Death soared through the desert; he deactivated his jets and landed on the plateau where Voldemort was waiting. Voldemort stood coolly, smirking. If he was at all intimidated by Death, it didn't show. In the sunlight, his skin was translucent, his robe was a dull green, and his eyes were an unnatural greenish blue color.

"On this day, I will defeat you and become the new lord of death." he declared.

"**That will not happen." **Death growled.

Death spread his arms and Voldemort took to the sky to avoid the lightning bolts he discharged. Voldemort circled Death and fired volley after volley of spells, which Death used his skull-shield to bounce back at him. One of the spells hit Voldemort and he tumbled for a bit, Death took advantage of this by taking off and ramming into him, the shockwave he generated sent Voldemort flying into another plateau. Just as Death got close to him, he cast a severing spell; a deep gash appeared in Death's cloak and wisps of darkness poured out.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Voldemort blasted a blazing green beam into Death. It wasn't enough to kill him instantly, but he could feel his life-force slowly weakening, he put a hand to the beam, trying to push it away. With a roar, he finally pushed it up into the sky, right past the sun (which was laughing with delight). A long golden beam came from Voldemort's wand; he wrapped it around Death and flung him toward a mesa. He then launched a massive fiery serpent at him. Death grabbed the serpent's jaws but it pushed him into the mesa and burst into a shower of orange and gold flame. Death began lifting huge, burning chunks of land and hurling them at Voldemort, who protected himself with a shield charm. Death reached out with his many shadowy arms and grabbed onto Voldemort, he sunk his claws into him and slammed him onto the mesa, creating a web of cracks.

"**I've learned that there's only one way to deal with your kind!" **Death roared.

He wrapped many black tendrils around Voldemort, squeezed him with bone-crushing force and began discharging electricity into him. Voldemort let out a blood-curdling shriek and a wave of dark magic emanated from him, blowing Death away from him and causing the mesa to crumble. The two of them began to fall but Death jetted to Voldemort and grabbed onto him. They twisted and spiraled through the air as Voldemort tried to pull Death off of him. He saw that they were flying straight toward the academy. It wasn't long before they crashed right in front of it.

* * *

><p>Mere minutes passed before Voldemort slowly got to his feet. His ribs were broken, he was scorched, and he was bleeding, but Death was still lying on the stone, black goo and smoke pouring from his cloak. This was his chance, he picked up his wand but before he raised it, the front doors burst open and four armed meisters ran out toward him. He recognized Maka, Death's son, the blue haired boy, and Crona, Medusa's pathetic excuse for a son. He knocked the blue haired boy to the ground with the <em>Cruciatus Curse, <em>split Crona's chest open with _Sectumsempra, _and blasted Maka and Death's son back with _Confringo_. This was it…just four more killing curses and he could end this! Without warning, five black spikes shot through his torso and he dropped his wand. He looked down and saw that they were protruding from Crona's blood on the ground. He had no idea Crona had that kind of power! The blue-haired boy wrapped his chain-scythe around him, restricting his arms. He reached down for his wand, trying desperately to summon it back into his hand.

"_No…it cannot end this way…"_

Why was this happening to him? Why was he so weak?

* * *

><p>Maka and Kid got to their feet and saw something that made them gasp: Voldemort weakened and vulnerable! Maka willed Soul's blade to transform into the azure blade of Witch Hunter while Kid had Liz and Patty transform into Death Cannons. Crona crawled away from Voldemort but Black Star stayed firmly in place.<p>

"NOW! FINISH HIM!" he shouted.

Kid fired two shining golden balls of energy from his cannons and Maka sent a wave of blue energy from her scythe. Black Star jumped at the last minute and both attacks hit Voldemort at once. Maka, Kid, and Black Star released their partners and stared at the dying Voldemort. He lifted his head back and let out a long ghostly moan as his body slowly crumbled into ash. Kid rushed over to Lord Death and Maka rushed to Crona.

"Son…" Death said weakly. "I want to spend every day I have left with you."

"You fought bravely, Crona." said Maka. "I'm proud of you."

She hugged the boy who she had begun to think of as a little brother.

"What about me?" Ragnarok demanded.

"You too, Ragnarok." Maka chuckled.

"Where would this young idiot be without me?" Ragnarok added snidely.

They all shared a laugh as the sun continued to cackle overhead.


	18. epilogue

Crona and Marie sat next to the recovering Stein. He had no antidote to the snake's venom, but he had something even better: phoenix tears. The headmistress of the wizard school gave them to him for defeating the basilisk; they had the power to heal almost any injury or ailment.

"Crona…" he said softly. "You saved me…and Marie. Thank you, son."

"It…was nothing really." Crona said blushing as Marie planted a kiss on his head.

Ragnarok emerged from Crona's back.

"If you're really grateful, then how about separating me from this idiot, so I can have my own life?"

Stein chuckled.

"I guess I could give it a try. No promises, though."

* * *

><p>Lord Death hovered over his academy and watched as repairs were made to it. Coffins were made and prayers were said for the casualties on both sides. He watched as Justin was placed in a coffin and the pile of ash that was once Excalibur was placed inside an urn with his favorite word etched into it. Death himself crafted an urn for Voldemort's ashes and placed his wand inside with them. All of the first-year students Marie had hidden below were alive and well, though plenty of more experienced ones had died. More and more students were beginning to accept Kim, despite knowing that she was a witch, she no longer needed Ox or Kilik to defend her either.<p>

A few Death Eaters managed to escape and plenty of dementors still roamed the earth. Free, Giriko, and Mosquito were still at large too, and there was always the possibility of another Kishin being born, but that did not matter right now. What mattered to Death now was spending his few remaining years with his son. After eight centuries it was time for him to retire, so he named Azusa the new headmistress, to her great joy.

Maka spent some much needed time with her papa, watching the academy being restored to its former glory. She looked down below and saw Black Star chasing after some of the academy's worst pranksters.

"I'll get you!" he cried. "You won't escape my wrath!"

The sun continued to laugh mockingly down at the world.

"One of these days I'm going to destroy that thing." Kid growled.

"But without the sun it'll always be dark, won't it?" asked Patty.

Blair rushed up to them.

"What are you kids doing here? Let's party!" she cried.

"Yeah!" cried Patty.

"All you ever do is party, Blair…and eat and sleep!" said Maka. "Haven't you ever thought about working?"

Blair blew a raspberry at her.

"Work is for chumps."

"I see…so that would make me a chump then, huh?"

Blair and Patty ran off laughing, Maka sighed.

"Maka!"

Soul came running up to her.

"What's up, Soul?"

"It's Giriko, he's at it again. He's hiding on Poveglia island, Azusa wants us to take care of him."

Maka nodded, gave her papa a small peck on the cheek and hurried along with Soul, Kid and Liz were not far behind them.


End file.
